By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff

Ambassador Johnson Toribiong reassured the Taiwan government that the island nation will be maintaining its diplomatic relations with the Republic of China and dismissed as views of only a very small group in Palau reports that some members of Congress wants to severe ties with Taiwan.
Toribiong was recently in Taipei and paid courtesy calls to several Taiwan officials including Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang.
In his meeting with Huang, Toribiong said that he assured the Taiwan government that the "pronouncements " of a few lawmakers wanting to establish a diplomatic relationship with mainland China is not reflective of Palau government policies and views of the public.
Toribiong said the Palau government remains supportive of the Taiwan and would want to continue strengthening relationship between the two countries.
He said that Palau will not flip flop in its support to Taiwan which he said has assisted the country in several areas.
He thanked the officials for the assistance in the forms of financial grants, soft loans, technical assistance and private investments from Taiwan to Palau especially in the island nation’s tourism industry.
Toribiong was in Taiwan from April 3 to April 8, aside from the visit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also visited the Municipal Wan Fang Hospital.