May 20, 2025
No. 167
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung hosted a luncheon on May 20 to mark a state visit by President Surangel Whipps, Jr. of the Republic of Palau. During the luncheon, Minister Lin conveyed a warm welcome on behalf of the government of Taiwan and thanked Palau for its staunch support for Taiwan’s international participation. He said he expected Taiwan and Palau to continue their close cooperation and together promote sustainable development across a range of areas in both nations.
In his remarks, Minister Lin explained that since taking office, he had launched a strategy of integrated diplomacy to serve as Taiwan’s primary focus for foreign affairs, adding that its three pillars of values-based diplomacy, alliance diplomacy, and economic and trade diplomacy were advancing the promotion of the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project in Palau. He also noted that, in addition to personally leading an industrial delegation to Palau in January, several business delegations had visited Palau on information-gathering missions, and that in March President Whipps had appointed Taiwanese business leader Stan Shih to serve as a senior economic advisor to Palau. Minister Lin said that these activities had laid a successful foundation for using public-private partnerships as a cooperative model through which to promote the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project.
In his remarks, President Whipps thanked the government of Taiwan and Minister Lin for their gracious reception. Observing that he had already made several trips to Taiwan, President Whipps said that visiting once again felt just like experiencing the warmth of home. Likening the 26-year ties between Taiwan and Palau to a marriage, he said that the nations’ sincere friendship was based on such shared values as freedom and democracy, a common Austronesian culture, and mutual support and prosperity.
President Whipps also reiterated his heartfelt gratitude for Taiwan’s assistance toward national development in Palau, adding that Taiwan’s status as one of the world’s leading producers of semiconductors and other technologies was a reflection of its successful education system and outstanding industrial development. Remarking that President Lai Ching-te’s visit to Palau in December 2024 had established a robust foundation for a new era of Taiwan-Palau collaboration, he said he hoped the two nations would continue to use public-private partnerships to engage in close cooperation on sustainable tourism, green energy, smart medicine and healthcare, education and training, and food security, together creating a vision of economic prosperity for both countries.
Among others attendees at today’s luncheon were Cheng Shih-chung, Director-General of the Ministry of Education’s Sports Administration; Professor Wang Ying-chou, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fu Jen Catholic University; Liao Song-yie, Chairman of COTA Commercial Bank; and Liu Qing-ling, Chairperson of Chuan Cheng Hat Co., Ltd. Amid a warm and cordial environment, guests and the members of the Palauan delegation engaged in in-depth exchanges regarding various aspects of Taiwan-Palau cooperation. (E)