Vice President Annette Lu arrived in the Pacific island nation of Nauru on Thursday. She attended a ceremony to mark the fortieth anniversary of the county's independence.

Lu met with Nauru's new President Marcus Stephen and the head of Nauru's parliament, Riddel Akua. She thanked Nauru for its staunch support of Taiwan in the international community.

Lu also brought good news regarding the rescue of three Nauru fishermen. The three men were left adrift at sea for eleven days after their engine broke down. They were finally picked up by a Taiwanese fishing vessel and taken to the Marshall Islands. Lu said that the three would be brought back to Nauru on Friday on her personal plane.

The vice president is currently on a visit to three of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the Pacific region. After her visits to the Marshall Islands and Nauru, Lu will also visit the Solomon Islands before returning to Taiwan.