Today, on April 17, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Mr. Kabua, visited Taichung City Government. Secretary General Huang Chong-dian, on behalf of Mayor Lu Hsiu-yen, said that Mr. Kabua is the elected senator of Taichung's sister city, the City of Kwajalein Atoll, and is the youngest senator in the history of Marshall. We welcome the visit of the Friendship Minister and representatives from Taichung's sister cities. We hope that in the future, the two places will have closer exchanges and continue to cooperate in the fields of education, culture, and environmental protection to promote global sustainable development together.

Secretary General Huang pointed out that Taichung and the City of Kwajalein Atoll have frequent exchanges, and the two cities have been sister cities since 2002, and it has been 21 years since then. In 2008, former Mayor Hu Zhi-qiang was invited to visit Marshall and the City of Kwajalein, and former Taichung City Vice Mayor Ling-Hu Rong-da was the ROC Ambassador to Marshall in the past.Both our indigenous people and the Marshallese community are part of the South Island language group. Thus, the two sides have a deep connection in terms of blood, language, and culture. So the city actively promotes exchanges with Marshall in the areas of culture and education. For example, in November 2021, the Museum of Fiber Arts, Taichung held the "Banana Wind, Coconut Rain, Blue Sky, Blue Sea - the Marshall Islands Weaving Craft Special Exhibition" to introduce the unique weaving culture of the country, and the 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival "Original Art Symphonic Lantern Area" also invited the Marshallese Aboriginal Dance Troupe to perform "Harvest Season".

Secretary General Huang mentioned that Minister Kabua's visit was to sign the “Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Change Adaptation Fund” with Foreign Minister Wu Zhao-Xie. Besides, sustainable development has always been one of Mayor Lu's key policies. Taichung City has been promoting sustainable net-zero transformation, implementing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), signing the Climate Emergency Declaration, publishing the Taichung City 2021 Voluntary Review Report, and announcing the Taichung City 2050 Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Pathway, etc.Last year, Taichung City's PM2.5 concentration was 12.7 micrograms, which has fallen below the national standard of 15 micrograms. The Taichung City government is pleased to exchange relevant experiences with Marshall and work together for the sustainable development of the earth.

Minister Kabua pointed out that Taichung and Kwajalein have had frequent exchanges since they became sister cities, for example, through mutual visits and sharing of best practices in urban governance, and the friendship between the two sides is very deep. In addition, both Kwajalein City and Taichung City value culture and tradition, and thank the Taichung City government for its efforts in promoting cultural exchanges between the two cities and valuing aboriginal culture.The Marshall Islands is low lying and climate change has a significant impact on the people of the country. The Marshallese government is working hard and actively promoting global sustainability in the hope of reducing the impact of climate change. We are pleased to learn of Mayor Lu's efforts and achievements in the area of environmental sustainability. We look forward to learning from each other and working together.

In addition, Minister Kabua congratulated Mayor Lu on her successful re-election with a high vote count. She said that it is not easy for women to hold important positions in politics or decision-making in many countries, and the presence of many female senior city executives here today shows that Mayor Lu attaches great importance to promoting opportunities for women to participate in decision-making; we hope to exchange experiences in promoting gender equality and empowering women in the future and work together to implement gender equality including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), Achieving gender equality and empowering women.

After the meeting, Minister Kabua presented Secretary General Huang with a traditional Marshallese woven necklace, a shell and rattan wall decoration, and a Kwajalein City baseball cap. Secretary General Huang also gave back lacquer artwork from Mid-Lake Pavilion in Taichung and high mountain tea from Li-Shan, creating a warm and cordial atmosphere.Today, in addition to Secretary General Huang, Mr. He, Yin-Ni, Director General, Department of Bilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Marshall; Ms. Dai An-Zhen, Ambassador Pro Tempore, Embassy of Marshall; Mr. Li Zhi-Qiang, Director of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ms. Wang Shu-Yi, Deputy Director of City Hall Education Department; Mr. Shih Chun-Fu, Deputy Director of Culture Bureau; Mr. Ni Jia-Jun Head Secretary of the Secretariat; Ms. Bai Jia-Ying Principal Secretary, Construction Bureau; Ms. Ni Shi-Ling Principal Secretary, Economic Development Bureau were all present.