Taiwan, Marshall Islands pledge to expand cooperation

Taipei, June 3 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Tuesday reaffirmed Taiwan's commitment to expanding existing cooperation with the Marshall Islands to include new areas such as education, sports and aviation.

Speaking ahead of a closed-door meeting with visiting Marshallese President Hilda Heine, Lai described the two countries as "truly a family" with close bonds formed through 27 years of collaboration in many fields, including health care, education, women's empowerment and climate action.

Given the rapidly changing geopolitical and economic outlook, Lai said Taiwan was hopeful that the two sides continue "to deepen their partnership and build an even closer cooperative relationship."

Lai said he also looked forward to seeing further bilateral collaboration following the signing of a memorandum of understanding and a letter of intent to broaden cooperation in sports, education, and aviation later in the meeting.

"Taiwan will take concrete action to work with the Marshall Islands and...[write] a new chapter in our diplomatic partnership," he said.

Heine, who arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a six-day visit, expressed similar views, describing the bilateral ties as "special" and "enduring" and reiterated her government's backing of Taiwan's participation in the international community.

The Marshall Islands is one of the 12 states in the world to have formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). The two side established ties in 1998.

Heine also thanked Taiwan for its continued support for Marshallese national development, particularly in health, education, agriculture and climate resilience.

The meeting followed a welcome ceremony held outside the Presidential Office to greet the 19-member delegation led by Heine with a display of military honors.

Other members of the delegation include First Gentleman Thomas Kijiner, Jr., President of the Council of Iroij Lanny Kabua, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kalani Kaneko, and Minister of Finance David Paul, among others.