TAIPE (CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY) — Taiwan and Tuvalu have signed a joint communique to reiterate their strong ties and accords on cooperation on policing and the Coast Guard during the visit of the Pacific island nation’s prime minister in Taipei on Monday.
Foreign Minister Joseph Wu signed the communiqué with Tuvaluan Prime Minister Kausea Natano at the Taipei Guest House on Monday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
The signing was timed to mark the upcoming 43th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties, which were established on 19 September 1979, MOFA said in a statement.
Taiwan and Tuvalu will remain close allies in various areas, especially on climate change, COVID-19, and Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations and relevant organizations in the future, MOFA said.
The two countries will also work to ensure the survival of Tuvalu, an atoll island nation that has been threatened by rising sea levels caused by climate change, MOFA said.
Aside from the communiqué, Natano signed an agreement with Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung on police cooperation and another with Acting Ocean Affairs Council Minister Chou Mei-wu on Coast Guard cooperation, the foreign ministry said.
The two countries will share intelligence, organise reciprocal visits, and conduct joint exercises under the new agreements, according to MOFA.
The two countries also signed a memorandum on the establishment of an oceanic science and engineering centre to improve Tuvalu’s ability to slow down the pace at which its coasts are eroding and improve its resilience against climate change, MOFA said.
Natano arrived in Taiwan on Saturday for a seven-day visit, his first since taking office in 2019.
He was greeted with a military ceremony and a state banquet hosted by President Tsai Ing-wen…. PACNEWS