January 10, 2023
No. 010
Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu Samuelu Penitala Teo and President of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) You Si-kun signed a joint statement on parliamentary cooperation during a meeting on the morning of January 10. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang, who accompanied Speaker Teo, witnessed the signing. The statement marked the further deepening of friendly cooperation between the two countries through parliamentary exchanges.
In his remarks at the event, Legislative Yuan President You welcomed Speaker Teo and his delegation to Taiwan and thanked Tuvalu for actively speaking up for Taiwan at various international events as China continues to suppress Taiwan’s international participation.
President You stressed that Taiwan and Tuvalu have a long history of linguistic and cultural connections and share the universal values of freedom and democracy, which form a solid foundation for bilateral friendship. He noted that after China’s rise as a military and economic power, its ambitions to establish a strategic foothold in the Indo-Pacific had grown. In the face of all forms of authoritarianism, it is more necessary than ever for like-minded countries to work together to safeguard democratic values. Speaker Teo reaffirmed that Tuvalu is Taiwan’s strongest ally. In addition to having supported Taiwan at international forums, in the future the two countries will enhance collaboration on infrastructure development, personnel exchanges, and other endeavors, further bolstering bilateral relations.
The Joint Statement for Cooperation between the Legislative Yuan of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) and the Parliament of Tuvalu, signed by President You and Speaker Teo today, aims to further deepen cordial ties between the two countries through parliamentary exchanges. Bilateral cooperation will be strengthened on areas including Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, Tuvalu’s postpandemic economic recovery, and adaptation to climate change.
In answering media questions after the meeting, President You affirmed that parliamentary exchanges contribute to advancing bilateral relations and expressed an interest in leading a delegation to Tuvalu. However, under pandemic restrictions, such interactions should be conducted through flexible channels, he said. In addition to Speaker Teo’s visit to Taiwan, parliamentarians from the two countries will continue to deepen ties through the General Assembly and Council Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union. Meanwhile, Speaker Teo said the government of Tuvalu had fully supported Taiwan in 2022 at the World Health Assembly, United Nations General Assembly, International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly, and the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. He added that the 16 members of the Tuvalu Parliament are unanimously and steadfastly committed to backing Taiwan. He also pledged that both the parliament and government of Tuvalu will continue to take concrete action to demonstrate consistent and solid support for Taiwan at related international organizations this year. (E)