TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and the Marshall Islands will set up a joint fund to combat the effects of climate change, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told visiting Marshall Islands President David Kabua Tuesday (March 22).

She said both countries would cooperate to lay a stable foundation for sustainable development and to contribute even more to global prosperity. An agriculture cooperation agreement is also on the cards in order to expand food security to outlying parts of the Marshall Islands, CNA reported.

Kabua was met with a 21-gun salute outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei Tuesday morning before sitting down for talks with Tsai. This is his first official visit to Taiwan as president of one of its 14 diplomatic allies, but he has traveled here before.

In a speech welcoming her guest, President Tsai emphasized bilateral cooperation in the fields of healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, and clean energy. Both countries acknowledge that climate change and rising sea levels are common obstacles to development, she said.

Apart from the new fund, the two countries will share expertise in basic infrastructure for green energy, early-warning systems, and personnel training, setting up a resilient response structure to meet the challenges of climate change, according to Tsai.