President Tsai Ing-wen will depart Oct. 28 on her first official visit to Republic of China (Taiwan) diplomatic allies Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu in the South Pacific.

On the afternoon of October 13, the Office of the President called a press conference to announce that President Tsai Ing-wen would lead a delegation to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands from October 28 through November 4. The planned itinerary was presented by Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Chih-Chung (吳志中).

It is a great honour to welcome all of you to the 2017 Asia-Pacific Think-tank Summit. There are over 30 top think tanks represented here today, from the United States, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, as well as ASEAN countries.

President Tsai Ing-wen said Oct. 11 that the government’s New Southbound Policy is committed to forging mutually beneficial ties, generating economic growth and improving the welfare of the people in the region.

Redefining Taiwan's role in the region is one of my highest priorities as president. To be clear, the New Southbound Policy is our new "Regional Strategy for Asia." Under this policy, we intend to work with countries in the region and around the world to deepen and broaden our presence in South and Southeast Asia.

One way of achieving this goal is through the government’s New Southbound Policy. By forging closer links and relations with the 18 target countries in the region, Taiwan is playing a more important part in shaping regional prosperity and stability, she added.

Premier Lai Ching-te today delivered an address on the eve of Taiwan's national day on the theme of a "Better Taiwan," offering his best wishes on behalf of the Executive Yuan for peace, happiness and success for Taiwan and its people. Under the leadership of President Tsai Ing-wen, the government has been able to successfully promote its policies, achieve reform, and ensure prosperity across multiple sectors of society, thus providing a secure and contented environment for all.

Since May 2016, we have made the New Southbound Policy one of our major policy agendas. The objective is to strengthen Taiwan's long-term presence in South and Southeast Asian markets and work together as long-term partners for growth.

On the morning of October 3, President Tsai Ing-wen met with International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) President Carmen Pena and her husband. President Tsai stated that Taiwan is dealing with the challenges of an ageing population, so building a comprehensive pharmaceutical care network is one of the most important tasks facing our government. Taiwan's government also encourages pharmacists to do a good job of educating patients on the proper use of drugs to avoid wasting healthcare resource

As we build a new economic model for Taiwan, we are also willing to share our experiences with different countries in the region. This is because as a trading country, we know that Taiwan cannot work alone.