TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In a diplomatic achievement that strengthens Taiwan's international legal connections, officials from Taipei and Majuro formalized a landmark judicial cooperation pact this week. Taiwan's Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-Chien (鄭銘謙) and his Marshall Islands counterpart, Minister of Justice, Immigration, and Labor Wisely Zackhras, signed a comprehensive treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters during a ceremony held Wednesday (May 14) in Taiwan's capital. The agreement represents Taiwan's first international judicial treaty of 2025, a meaningful development for the self-governing island that maintains formal diplomatic relations with only 13 countries worldwide.
The agreement marks a significant personal milestone for Minister Cheng, constituting his first international treaty since taking office at Taiwan's Ministry of Justice (MOJ, 法務部). Justice officials emphasized that this pact builds upon Taiwan's established framework of judicial cooperation, which includes similar legal assistance arrangements with major partners like the United States and Japan, despite Taiwan's limited formal diplomatic recognition on the global stage.
According to Taiwan's Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs (國際及兩岸法律司), the specialized division handling Taiwan's international legal relationships, the agreement culminates a process that began in 2023. The department credited Taiwan's diplomatic corps with facilitating the successful negotiations, specifically highlighting the crucial roles played by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taiwan's embassy in the Pacific island nation throughout the multi-year development of the treaty.
The treaty establishes formal mechanisms for cross-border legal assistance in criminal investigations, enabling authorities from both nations to request critical support including witness testimony, document collection, and search warrant execution. The Marshall Islands delegation demonstrated the agreement's importance by sending a high-level contingent to Taipei for the signing ceremony, including Minister Zackhras accompanied by his spouse, Prosecutor General Bernard Adiniwin, and Ambassador Anjanette Kattil, who serves as the Marshall Islands' top diplomatic representative to Taiwan. ◼