Taiwan's President Lai in Marshall Island

3/12/2024 12:22

        Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te arrived on an official visit to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, which he said was the first country he had visited since taking office in May, as part of a Pacific tour of diplomatic allies.
        
        China, which views Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any foreign interactions or visits by the island's leaders, has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war games this year.
        
        Arriving in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro, Lai referred to Taiwan's indigenous inhabitants as sharing a culture with the Pacific Islands' first settlers.
        He said, "Taiwan and the Marshall Islands share a traditional Austronesia culture as well as the values of freedom and democracy," in livestreamed remarks as he met President Hilda Heine.
        
        Austronesian tribes farmed on Taiwan thousands of years before Han settlers from mainland China arrived in the 17th century.
        
        Heine said the Pacific Island nation, which has a defence and funding compact with the United States, and receives significant aid for climate change projects and infrastructure from Taiwan, would deepen ties.