Marshallese President Hilda Heine is in Taiwan for a six-day state visit, meeting with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Tuesday. The visit comes as China is stepping up efforts to woo Taipei's remaining diplomatic allies in the Pacific into switching ties to Beijing.
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00:00Marshall Islands President Hilda Haine is in Taiwan for a six-day visit
00:04to mark the 27th anniversary of formal ties between the two countries.
00:08It comes as China steps up efforts to woo Pacific Island nations.
00:13Ours is a special and enduring relationship,
00:17one grounded in our shared Austro-Nation heritage
00:21and strengthened by mutual respect for each other's democratic systems
00:25and our steadfast commitment to the core values of freedom, justice and the rule of law.
00:34Haine met with President Lai Ching-de, who expressed gratitude to the Marshall Islands,
00:39one of Taiwan's 12 remaining diplomatic allies.
00:42The two countries are planning to sign several agreements in the next few days
00:46to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in education and aviation.
00:51The visit comes just days after China hosted a meeting
00:53with top officials from 11 other Pacific Island nations
00:57and it seeks to expand its influence in the region.