Taiwan President thanks Palau as new ambassador presents credentials

In a ceremony at the Presidential Office in Taipei, President Lai Ching-te thanked Palau for its unwavering support of Taiwan’s participation in international bodies amid shifting regional dynamics. He reminded attendees that Palau, one of Taiwan’s twelve diplomatic allies and three Pacific partners, has regularly voiced support at the Pacific Islands Forum, the UN General Assembly and the World Health Assembly. Lai received the credentials of Gaafar Uherbelau, a veteran Palauan official who previously served as health minister and presidential health adviser, appointed by President Surangel Whipps Jr. The president pointed to a series of reciprocal visits - his own trip to Palau after taking office in May 2024, Whipps Jr.’s visit to Taiwan last year, and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s June trip - as signs of an increasingly close relationship.

Uherbelau recalled that Taiwan first sent a technical mission to Palau in 1984, fifteen years before formal diplomatic ties were established in 1999, and emphasized shared Austronesian heritage. Both sides pledged to expand cooperation in education, health care, technical assistance and broader Indo-Pacific development.