桃園市政府秘書處

Kiribati Ambassador Tessie Eria Lambourne arrived in Taiwan and assumed the position of Ambassador to Taiwan last year; yesterday (30) was her first visit to Taoyuan. Ambassador Lambourne had her first taste of Daxi dried bean curds, Hakka vegetable buns, sweet peanut rice cake rolls, and Yunnan steamed buns, and was deeply impressed by those snacks, saying in Mandarin that they were “delicious”.

Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan said that Taiwan did well in wind power, solar power, and power storage facilities, and he hopes that in the future, development experience can be shared with Kiribati to deepen bilateral collaboration and help realize visions.

Tessie Eria Lambourne said that Kiribati President Taneti Maamau has been devoted to promoting the Kiribati 20-Year Vision, especially in the development of fishery, tourism, and infrastructure. In addition, influenced by global climate change, water resource management is high valued. The focuses of Kiribati match many policies currently implementing in Taoyuan.

Mayor Cheng said that Kiribati has rich ocean resources and abundant catch. The two sides can have more exchange in marine products and trade. Activities such as student volunteer experience can be further facilitated to deepen the relations.

Tessie Eria Lambourne congratulated Taoyuan for winning the ICF Top7 Intelligent Communities of the Year in 2019. She said that Taoyuan is active in promoting green economy and green environment; by utilizing solar power, ponds, and wind power, imported energy is less relied on and the amount of carbon dioxide emission is reduced. Kiribati and Taoyuan share similar governance ideas and values. At present, Kiribati is discussing cooperation with coconut-based food processing companies in Taoyuan. It is believed that in the future, Kiribati will have more connections with Taoyuan.

Tessie Eria Lambourne arrived in Taiwan and assumed the position of Ambassador to Taiwan last year. She enjoys Taiwanese cuisine and snacks very much, and therefore, Mayor Cheng took the opportunity and introduced Taoyuan’s signature snacks to Ambassador Lambourne: Daxi dried bean curds have a Hokkien feature and taste chewy and flavorful; Hakka snack “signature vegetable buns” have a slight taste of mugwort and taste light and not greasy; “sweet peanut rice cake rolls” are stuffed with chopped peanuts and peanut butter, and the soft and creamy texture is uniquely Hakka; Yunnan delicacy “steamed buns” have several layers like garlics and taste smooth with just the right amount of grease. The diverse snacks also show the diversity and inclusiveness of ethnic groups in Taoyuan.

Director-general of the Secretariat Wen Tzu-chieh said that Kiribati and Taiwan has established diplomatic relations since 2003. Over the years, hundreds of bilateral cooperation programs have been carried out in medicine and health, agriculture, livestock, and fishery, infrastructure, talent cultivation, and clean energy. Close exchange has been facilitated in all areas. The visit yesterday opens the opportunity of exchange between Taoyuan and Kiribati and there will be many potential cooperation programs in the future where both sides can conduct practical exchange.

Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, Director-general of the Secretariat Yen Tzu-chieh, Director-general of the Department of Tourism Yang Sheng-ping, and Director-general of the Department of Indigenous Affairs Lin Jih-Lung attended today’s event. Visiting guests included Kiribati Ambassador to the Republic of China/Taiwan Tessie Eria Lambourne and Secretary to the Ambassador Wu Shu-chuan.