Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived on an official visit to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, which he said was the first country he had visited since taking office in May, as part of a Pacific tour of diplomatic allies.
\nChina, which views Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any foreign interactions or visits by the island\u2019s leaders, has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war games this year.
\nArriving in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro, Lai referred to Taiwan\u2019s indigenous inhabitants as sharing a culture with the Pacific Islands\u2019 first settlers.
\n\u201cTaiwan and the Marshall Islands share a traditional Austronesia culture as well as the values of freedom and democracy,\u201d he said, in livestreamed remarks as he met President Hilda Heine.
\n\u201cWe are like family. We are also close partners who support each other,\u201d he added.
\nAustronesian tribes farmed on Taiwan thousands of years before Han settlers from China arrived in the 17th century.
\nHeine said the Pacific Island nation, which has a defense and funding compact with the United States, and receives significant aid for climate change projects and infrastructure from Taiwan, would deepen ties.
\n\u201cYour government and people are very close and dear to our hearts,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cYour state visit also signifies a bilateral relationship that is mature, one that has withstood the test of time and one that I am confident will continue to grow,\u201d she added.
\nLater addressing parliament, Lai offered financial support for the national airline to upgrade its aging fleet.
\n\u201cTaiwan will be happy to provide preferential loans to the Marshall Islands to purchase new aircraft for Air Marshall Islands to improve local air services,\u201d he said.
\nLai had a two-day US stopover in Hawaii which started on Saturday.
\nFrom the Marshall Islands he goes to Tuvalu for a brief trip, then a one-night stopover in the US territory of Guam before going to Palau.
\nLai arrives back in Taipei late on Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived on an official visit to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, which he said was the first country he had visited since taking office in May, as part of a Pacific tour of diplomatic allies. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any foreign interactions or visits by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-447113","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n