Foreign Minister Lin hosts welcome dinner for Tuvalu Prime Minister Teo and his wife

Foreign Minister Lin hosts welcome dinner for Tuvalu Prime Minister Teo and his wife

• Date：2024-10-10
• Data Source：Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

October 10, 2024
No. 345

Prime Minister of Tuvalu Feleti Penitala Teo and Madame Tausaga Teo led a delegation to Taiwan to attend National Day celebrations. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung hosted a dinner for the delegation on October 9, extending a heartfelt welcome on behalf of the government.

Minister Lin welcomed Prime Minister Teo on his second visit to Taiwan since assuming office in February. He said that Prime Minister Teo's presence, this time as a guest of honor at National Day celebrations, underscored the immense importance he placed on the diplomatic partnership between Taiwan and Tuvalu. Minister Lin noted that this year marked the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations and that Tuvalu was Taiwan's longest-standing Pacific ally. He said that Taiwan would build on this existing robust foundation to further deepen cooperation with Tuvalu in such important domains as climate change, ICT, medicine and health care, talent cultivation, women's empowerment, and basic infrastructure.

Minister Lin expressed special appreciation for Prime Minister Teo's staunch support for Taiwan's international participation over the years. He thanked Prime Minister Teo for speaking up for Taiwan at this year's United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), for reiterating that UNGA Resolution 2758 did not preclude Taiwan's participation in the UN, and for strongly urging the UN to include Taiwan so as to truly "leave no one behind."

Prime Minister Teo began his remarks by thanking Taiwan for inviting him to visit and wishing Taiwan a happy National Day and continued prosperity. He stated that in addition to attending National Day celebrations, he would also travel to southern Taiwan to engage in exchanges with fisheries operators so as to enhance bilateral fisheries cooperation. Stressing that Taiwan and Tuvalu had enjoyed an enduring friendship and realized significant achievements in many areas of collaboration, Prime Minister Teo said that the two countries would continue to work together to enhance the well-being of both their peoples.

As October 9 also happened to be Prime Minister Teo's birthday, Minister Lin had prepared a birthday cake to celebrate the occasion. In the warm and cordial atmosphere of the gathering, members of the visiting delegation performed traditional Tuvaluan songs in a show of Austronesian culture. Colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sang a selection of Taiwanese songs in return. (E)