Tuvalu Leader Visits Taiwan, Announcing To “Stand Together” With The Island Country

On Sep 5th, Kausea Natano, the prime minister of the Pacific Island country Tuvalu, made a solemn commitment during his visit to Taipei that Tuvalu would continue to stand firm to “remain a lasting and loyal ally of the Republic of China.”

It is reported that Tuvalu is one of 14 UN member states establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan and this is Natano’s first trip to Taiwan as prime minister since he took office in 2019. At the welcome ceremony hosted by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Natano said his visit was “a testament of bilateral long-standing friendship and genuine commitment forged since 1979”. He emphasized democracy, trust, human rights and freedom were the cornerstone of bilateral ties.

President Tsai expressed gratitude to Tuvalu’s support for Taiwan on the international stage and for its “invaluable friendship”.

Later, Natano and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu would sign a joint communique to reaffirm diplomatic ties. The Tuvalu delegation would also sign two agreements on police and coast guard cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ocean Affairs Council respectively, as well as a memorandum of understanding with the Kaohsiung-based National Sun Yat-sen University on education and maritime research. Both sides will continue to exchange views on international development and issues of mutual interests, and explore approaches to further strengthen bilateral relations.