By Kirsty Needham
(Reuters) – Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Tuvalu on Wednesday, a Tuvalu official said, reinforcing ties with the remote Pacific Island nation on the frontline of climate change.
“Taiwan’s President and his delegation arrived this morning in Tuvalu,” a Tuvalu government official told Reuters.
Lai flew in on a private jet from the Marshall Islands and will stay in Tuvalu for the day before leaving for Guam, as part of a Pacific tour of allies.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo reaffirmed ties with Taiwan after he was elected in February, and travelled to Taipei to meet with Lai for Taiwan’s national day celebrations in October.
With a population of 11,000 scattered across nine low-lying atolls, and predictions half of its main town will be submerged by rising tides by 2050, Tuvalu is reliant on donor partners including Taiwan to fortify its coast. It will be connected to international telecommunications by a subsea cable for the first time in a joint project backed by Taiwan, Australia, the United States and Japan.
Tuvalu’s national election was closely watched by China, amid a tussle for influence in the Pacific region, and after a leadership candidate said Taiwan ties would be reviewed.
China, which views Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any foreign interactions or visits by the island’s leaders, has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war games this year.
Lai will stop over in Guam for one night and then go to Palau.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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