Vice President Hosts Dinner for Palauan Traditional Leaders, Wears Indigenous-Designed Attire to Highlight Austronesian Connections

(Central News Agency, Koror, Palau, June 8) Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim hosted a dinner for traditional leaders of Palau on the evening of the 8th, stating that the ocean does not separate Taiwan and Palau but rather connects them closely, as both countries share deep Austronesian cultural roots. She pointed out that the Taiwan-Palau friendship is built on over 25 years of cooperation, which has not only deepened infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and educational exchanges but also continues to solidify bilateral ties through cultural heritage and people-to-people interactions.

Vice President Hsiao attended the dinner wearing attire designed by an artist from Taiwan's indigenous Paiwan tribe. She noted that Taiwan currently has 16 officially recognized indigenous groups, just as Palau has 16 states, each with its own unique language and culture worthy of preservation and inheritance. Taiwan has been actively promoting the revitalization of indigenous languages and cultures in recent years, including legislating indigenous languages as national languages, to ensure the continuation of these precious cultural assets.

Vice President Hsiao stated that many Taiwanese, particularly indigenous peoples, can find cultural affinities across the Pacific, and Palau is a crucial part of this connection. Having previously served a constituency in eastern Taiwan, she has a deep appreciation for the outstanding achievements of indigenous peoples in culture, music, and sports, and looks forward to more exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Palau in cultural preservation and inheritance.

Regarding Taiwan-Palau relations, she mentioned witnessing the results of baseball exchanges between the two countries on her first day in Palau. Representing President Lai Ching-te and the people of Taiwan on this visit, her first official trip abroad as Vice President, she expressed happiness that her first stop was Palau, a country with beautiful landscapes, warm people, and deep friendship.

She noted that over the past 25-plus years of diplomatic relations, cooperation between Taiwan and Palau has spanned infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, education, and technology. During this visit, she inspected several collaborative achievements, including road construction and agricultural and fishery projects promoted by Taiwan's Technical Mission in Palau. Approximately 68% of Palau's existing land roads were built with Taiwan's assistance, helping to promote community connectivity and balanced development.

In terms of agricultural and fishery cooperation, she said the Technical Mission has helped promote sustainable fisheries and agricultural development. Crops like dragon fruit and guava are very popular, and cooperative projects provide nutritious lunches for schoolchildren. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies have been used to help map the marine ecosystem, supporting Palau in managing its marine resources and balancing conservation with tourism development.

She stated that as maritime nations, both Taiwan and Palau share the responsibility of protecting the ocean and share an open, friendly, and warm maritime culture. Promoting sustainable tourism in Palau is also a key task of this visit, hoping to attract more Taiwanese tourists and deepen exchanges between the two sides.

Finally, she said that in an era of globalization, artificial intelligence, and geopolitical challenges, how to preserve and pass on traditional culture while developing technology is a crucial common issue for both Taiwan and Palau. She expressed confidence that there is still vast room for cooperation and mutual learning between the two countries in the revitalization of Austronesian culture and the inheritance of traditional values, and they will continue to work together to deepen their partnership.

On June 9, Vice President Hsiao's itinerary in Palau includes inspecting the implementation of the Malakal Island development project, visiting the Palau National Aquaculture Center and the Giant Clam Replenishment Center, and in the afternoon, visiting the Palau National Hospital and the Palau National Museum. (Editor: Su Lung-chi) 1150608