The president of Palau is scheduled to visit Taiwan this month. He will arrive on March 28 and stay until April 1. That was the word from Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Wednesday after the annoucement of a Taiwan-Palau COVID-19 travel bubble to be launched in April.
This is the first time Taiwan will welcome a foreign head of state since the pandemic began. It is also Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr.’s first overseas trip since he was inaugurated on January 21.
Whipps is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen to strengthen ties and to promote tourism between the two Taiwan and Palau.
Palau has not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19. Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that Palau’s people are therefore a bit nervous about opening up to visitors, but Palau’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism. Wu said that Palau has affirmed Taiwan’s success in containing COVID-19 by agreeing to a travel bubble.
The Taiwan-Palau travel bubble is the first of its kind for Taiwan and the first travel bubble formed in the Asia Pacific.