Taiwan President Lai Ching-te enters the Marshall Islands Nitijela (parliament) lobby before addressing the parliament and the nation Tuesday afternoon via live stream and government radio. He is being ushered in by Marshall Islands Foreign Affairs Protocol Chief Handelene Maddison, Parliament Assistant Clerk Carl Alik and Taiwan security personnel.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te enters the Marshall Islands Nitijela (parliament) chamber with Marshall Islands President Dr. Hilda Heine Tuesday afternoon shortly after arriving at the airport in Majuro, the capital of this western Pacific nation.
MAJURO — Taiwan will underwrite the purchase of two new airplanes for the national airline of the Marshall Islands, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told the Marshall Islands while visiting Majuro Tuesday this week.
Lai’s offer of a “preferential loan” for the Marshall Islands to buy new planes follows Air Marshall Islands announcement last week of plans to buy two new U.S.-manufactured Cessna SkyCourier aircraft to bolster domestic air service. The price tag for the new planes is estimated at $20 million.
It is another example of Taiwan supporting essential and costly infrastructure for the Marshall Islands, one of only 12 diplomatic allies of Taiwan. The two countries marked 26 years of ties last month.
To start the brief event at the parliament Tuesday, Marshall Islands Parliament Speaker Brenson Wase welcomed President Lai to the Marshall Islands and expressed his “appreciation for your commitment to our nation.” Taiwan’s “support has been instrumental in the progress of the Marshall Islands,” he added before inviting Lai to speak.
Taiwan and the Marshall Islands share “an abundance of cooperative achievements,” said the Taiwan President Tuesday in remarks that were broadcast live on the government AM radio station and live streamed.
A Taiwanese proverb translates as “eating comes first, then everything else,” said Lai, adding this summarized the goal of helping people to prosper and live in peace and happiness.
Lai then ticked off areas of cooperation between the Marshall Islands and Taiwan, including:
• The Taiwan Technical Mission, which has provided extensive agriculture and animal husbandry support to Marshallese farmers for over two decades. The technical mission plans to build a pig slaughterhouse in Majuro next year to support food security needs of the country, he said.
• A new Artificial Intelligence/Tele-Med Center at Majuro hospital, linking it with Shuang-Ho Hospital in Taipei.
• Taiwan’s pledge to fund the demolition of a dilapidated capital building and construction of a new capital facility that is estimated to cost above $30 million. Lai said implementation of the plan “will become a new landmark” for Majuro.
• Cooperation on climate change initiatives.
The Taiwan president thanked the Marshall Islands for “always supporting Taiwan in the international space.” He recognized Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, who took office for her second term in January, for “speaking out for Taiwan at the Pacific Islands Forum, the United Nations General Assembly and COP29.”
After congratulating the nation on its recent election to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Lai said that together, Taiwan and the Marshall Islands can continue to make contributions to the U.N., not only in the field of human rights.
He closed by emphasizing the Marshall Islands government’s national motto, which translates as “accomplishment through joint effort” as symbolic of the ties between Taiwan and the Marshall Islands.
After a series of events in Majuro culminating in a state banquet Tuesday night, Lai and his delegation are scheduled to depart Majuro Wednesday morning to head to Tuvalu.
