00:02Vice President Bi-Kim Hsiao's first full day in Palau started off with a special pick-up,
00:07with President Tsurangle Whips Jr. taking his personal boat as their ride for the day.
00:12With Whips as her guide, the pair went snorkeling at some of the island country's
00:16most breathtaking underwater landscapes, and Hsiao even got to try her hand at driving the boat.
00:22It's part of activities in her five-day trip to Taiwan's Pacific ally
00:26in an effort to promote sustainable tourism.
00:29Right under the water here is a massive coral reef known as the Big Drop-Off.
00:33It plunges suddenly over a hundred meters into the depths of the ocean,
00:38and it's one of the natural wonders that makes the Rock Islands a UNESCO World Heritage Site
00:43and attracts so many tourists every year.
00:47The beauty of Palau's waters is also a point of pride for President Whips,
00:51whose late father, also a former president, helped promote diving tourism
00:55and the preservation of the archipelago's biodiversity.
00:59Well, you know, we're very fortunate because the Vice President has been to Palau before.
01:07So we thought...
01:08Eighteen years ago.
01:09Eighteen years ago.
01:10So we wanted to go some places she hasn't been before.
01:14And I understood that she hasn't been the Big Drop-Off.
01:17And so we wanted to make sure that she got to experience Big Drop-Off.
01:21We wanted to go there because I knew we would be able to see turtles.
01:24And did we see any turtles, Vice President?
01:25Oh, lots of them.
01:26Lots of turtles today.
01:28Yeah, lots of turtles today.
01:29Lots of turtles today.
01:29Lots of turtles.
01:29And we even saw a leopard shark.
01:31Taiwanese account for about 11 percent of tourists in Palau.
01:34And it's only a four-hour direct flight between the two island nations.
01:39Xiao encouraged even more Taiwanese to come and explore the country's beauty.
01:43I can see why President Whips encourages visitors to stay longer.
01:48We are all island societies.
01:50And we're very open to the ocean.
01:53And the ocean makes us comfortable and relaxed.
01:56And Palau has more to offer.
01:58Still in their swim clothes, Xiao and Whips visited World War II memorial sites on Peleliu Island,
02:04one of the bloodiest battles in the war.
02:07At this museum, Xiao left the message, remembering for peace.
02:11With reminders of the atrocities of war still visible in Palau today,
02:15the day's visit also stands as a testament to the depths of Taiwan and Palau's friendship
02:20and their solidarity in maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific.
02:24Hank Shui and Tiffany Wong in Palau for Taiwan Plus.
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