President Hilda C. Heine arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport last week Saturday night to be welcomed by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
President Heine expressed her delight at returning to Taiwan and congratulated to Minister Wu on his forthcoming appointment as the next Taiwan National Security Adviser, acknowledging his unwavering support to the Marshall Islands throughout his seven-year tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The day after her arrival, the President met with outgoing Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. President Heine expressed heartfelt thanks for President Tsai’s unwavering support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands through her eight-year tenure as President of Taiwan.
President Heine highlighted the significant impact that their partnership has had as women leaders and close friends to address critical issues such as women’s empowerment, education, climate change, health, and others, which have contributed immensely towards the well-being of the Marshallese community and the overall development of the RMI.
Reflecting on their collaborative efforts, President Heine made special mention of a couple of worthy initiatives such as the Kora Im An Kil Fund and the Pacific Women’s Leadership Coalition that they were able to successfully launch together, to which President Tsai was invited to continue to support.
On May 20, President Heine congratulated new Taiwan President Lai Ching-te following his inauguration earlier in the day Monday. President Heine also lauded the vibrancy of Taiwan’s democracy as was demonstrated during the recent democratic elections.
The Marshall Islands and Taiwan continue to share close and friendly ties through shared principles of democracy, rule of law and freedom. The RMI remains committed to further strengthening the strong bond of friendship between the two countries and in the promotion of peace and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region, President Heine said.