Taiwan–Tuvalu relations are the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

. Taiwan maintains an embassy in

Funafuti Funafuti is an atoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu. As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 6 ...

, and Tuvalu maintains an embassy in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

. As of , Tuvalu is one of only 11

United Nations member states The United Nations comprise sovereign states and the world's largest intergovernmental organization. All members have equal representation in the UN General Assembly. The Charter of the United Nations defines the rules for admission of ...

to have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

History

Taiwan has maintained diplomatic relations with Tuvalu since 1979. According to ambassador

Bikenibeu Paeniu Bikenibeu Paeniu, PC (born 10 May 1956) is a politician from Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Nukulaelae in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He has served twice as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, and now serving as Tuvaluan ambassador to Taiw ...

, Tuvalu's decision to recognize Taiwan was largely due to the fact that "the deeply

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

country was wary of the

communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

." On 14 March 2013, Tuvalu opened an embassy in Taipei, its fifth agency installed in a foreign country. In June 2022, as a show of support for Taiwan, Tuvaluan foreign minister

Simon Kofe Simon Kofe is a Tuvaluan politician. He was appointed as the Minister for Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs, in the cabinet of Kausea Natano following the 2019 Tuvaluan general election. Early life He is the son of a Tuvaluan teacher at ...

withdrew from United Nations Ocean Conference opening after

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

blocked three Taiwanese members of the Tuvalu delegation from participating.

Academic relations

In September 2022, The National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tuvaluan minister of public constructions

Ampelosa Manoa Tehulu Ampelosa Manoa Tehulu is a Tuvaluan politician. Tehulu was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu at the 2019 Tuvaluan general election, and appointed Minister for Public Utilities & Environment in the cabinet of Kausea Natano Kausea Natano (bor ...

, witnessed by Tuvaluan prime minister

Kausea Natano Kausea Natano (born 5 July 1957) is a politician who served as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 19 September 2019 to 26 February 2024. He represented Funafuti as a Member of Parliament. He was first elected in the 2002 Tuvaluan general electio ...

and Taiwanese foreign minister

Joseph Wu Wu Jaushieh (; born October 31, 1954), also known by his English name Joseph Wu, is a Taiwanese political scientist and diplomat currently serving as secretary-general of the National Security Council since 2024. He was formerly the foreign mi ...

. As part of the agreement, the Taiwan and Tuvalu Center on Marine Science and Engineering was established, and NSYSU became the first Taiwanese university to have a maritime research agreement with Tuvalu.

References

Bilateral relations of Tuvalu {{bilateralrelations-stub

History

Academic relations

See also

References