Taipei, Dec. 16 (CNA) Palau’s ambassador to Taiwan Dilmei Olkeriil characterized diplomatic ties between the two countries as “extremely stable” during a recent interview with CNA, despite a Chinese travel ban that prevents Chinese tourists visiting the western Pacific island country.
According to Olkeriil, Taiwan and Palau, which established official ties in December 1992, continue to enjoy exchanges in many areas, including tourism, medicine, education and other fields, all of which ensure the relationship is very stable.
This comes after the Chinese government recently issued a travel ban on Palau, prohibiting Chinese tourist groups visiting the country, which some in the media are calling a punitive measure for Palau’s relationship with Taiwan.
In response, the ambassador noted that Palau will not be establishing official ties with China, which would require it to sever links with Taiwan, even if pressured by the mainland.
Palau will instead work to diversify its sources of tourists, targeting countries such as Taiwan and others in Europe and North America, Olkeriil explained.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) noted in November that the number of direct flights between the two countries will increase from next year.
During the interview, Olkeriil mentioned several of the initiatives Taiwan has launched in Palau to help the country promote development. The ambassador also said she hopes more countries around the world will learn about Taiwan’s advances in the fields of medicine and technology. (By Elaine Hou and Kuan-lin Liu)