Palau President Surangel Whipps, who is expected to visit Taiwan on March 28, said in an exclusive interview on March 22 that Beijing had approached him in the past, but responded that Palau is a democratic country and has the freedom to choose its friends, and that Palau values its relationship with Taiwan.
In a video interview with Surangel Whipps Jr. on March 22, he said Palau is a democracy and “it is vital that we maintain close ties with countries that share our values,” according to the Central News Agency. Palau is fortunate to be a solid partner of Taiwan, and “there is no doubt that we want to continue to strengthen this relationship.”
Huizhuren also revealed that Beijing approached him after his election as Palau’s president last year, but he responded, “We should have the freedom to choose our friends, and no one can say, I can’t be friends with anyone.” Palau values its relationship with Taiwan and “no one can ask that we should break that relationship.”
After months of preparation, Taiwan and Palau jointly announced the launch of the tourism bubble on the 17th, Huizhuren is expected to lead a small delegation to Taiwan on March 28, during which he will not only promote Palau’s tourism, but also meet with President Tsai Ing-wen. He will then fly to Palau with Taiwanese tourists on the first flight of the tourism bubble on April 1.
Huizhuren, who has completed 2 doses of vaccination, said of his upcoming visit to Taiwan that he was “very excited” just like he was when he arrived at the airport in early January to meet the 2019 coronavirus disease (CVD) vaccine.
He said the main purpose of the visit to Taiwan is to promote the tourism bubble, “which is very important to us,” and that the two sides have been discussing it for a long Time to build confidence in each other. With the visit to Taiwan he hopes to assure the Taiwanese people that “Palau is safe” and that Taiwanese tourists are welcome to visit Palau.
This will be Huizhong’s first overseas trip after taking office at the end of January. He said he hopes to promote tourism and medical cooperation during his visit to Taiwan, and to explore cooperation opportunities in the shipbuilding industry when the opportunity arises.
In addition, Huizhuren said he had invited President Tsai to visit Palau during a previous videoconference with her, and will take advantage of the face-to-face meeting to invite her again this time. It is hoped that soon after his visit to Taiwan, President Tsai will also visit Palau.
“It is vital to prove to the world that the tourism bubble is viable,” he said, describing it as two very close friends sharing a safe tourism corridor between the two countries.
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