GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios and other CNMI officials left for Taiwan on Monday for a six-day visit.
Traveling with the governor are Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, Senate Vice President Donald Manglona, Rep. Angelo Camacho, Rep. John Paul Sablan and Marianas Visitors Authority Executive Director Chris Concepcion.
The visit, which was approved by the U.S. State Department, is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan.
The CNMI officials were invited by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to visit the Asian country from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4.
The trip, according to the Office of the Governor, is part of the administration’s efforts to strengthen the CNMI’s economic resiliency.
The Office of the Governor said “it’s important to emphasize that the governor’s and the CNMI’s position regarding Taiwan is consistent with and in support of the United States’ position summarized in the U.S. Department of State’s statement regarding U.S relations with Taiwan.” (See https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-taiwan/)
The visit “aligns with Governor Palacios’s and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang’s priorities in diversifying the CNMI’s economy, cultivating new tourism markets, expanding foreign investment opportunities, and forging partnerships with public and private sector agencies (including health providers and electric energy producers) from other countries.”
In Taiwan, the CNMI officials are tentatively scheduled to meet with Taiwan Foreign Affairs officials and other key government leaders. They will also meet with representatives of China Airlines, which is one of Taiwan’s two major airlines, the Taiwan Travel Authority, the Taiwan utilities operators and construction companies and the Taiwan SDA Hospital. They will also attend the Taiwan Travel Fair.
“As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, it is imperative that we recognize the incredible potential for business opportunities in Taiwan,” Palacios said.
“This visit involves a number of meetings with senior level government officials as well as representatives from key industries whose partnership have a considerable potential to benefit the CNMI and its people,” he added.
