THE PEOPLE OF BIKINI ESTABLISH SISTER CITY TIES
WITH KEELUNG CITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF TAIWAN.
MAY 15, 2002
KEELUNG CITY, TAIWAN
Members of the Bikinian Delegation:
Hon. Mayor Eldon Note
Hon. Senator Tomaki Juda
Hon. Councilwoman Ketruth Juda
Hon. Councilman Mike Jibas
Hon. Councilman Jason Aitap
Mr. Jack Niedenthal, Trust Liaison for the People of Bikini
Mr. David Paul, representing the RMI Embassy in Taiwan
A delegation for the people of Bikini Atoll today established Sister City ties with Keelung City of the Republic of Taiwan. Signing the documents and exchanging gifts on behalf of the 
people of Bikini were Mayor Eldon Note and Senator Tomaki Juda. On behalf of the people of Keelung City, the documents and gifts were exchanged by Mayor Hsu Tsai-Li and the Speaker of the Keelung City Council, Chang Tong-Rong.
Pictured at Left: (from left to right) Speaker of the City Council of Keelung, Chang Tong-Rong, Mayor of Keelung City, Hsu Tsai-Li, Mayor of Bikini Eldon Note, and Bikinian Senator Tomaki Juda sign the Sister City agreement.
The agreement contains a pledge for the respective cities to help each other in the industries of fisheries and tourism, and also general economic development. An invitation was given to the Mayor of Keelung City to visit Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, and also Kili Island where most of the people of Bikini live today.
Keelung City, located in the north of Taiwan, is surrounded by mountains on three sides and by the sea on the other. Keelung City is a multi-use seaport blended with fishery, military and business roles because of its important geographic location in Taiwan. Keelung's harbor also serves as a key transhiupment point for sea and land transportation to Taipei. 
Pictured at Right: (from left to right) Mayor of Keelung City, Hsu Tsai-Li and Mayor of Bikini Eldon Note as they conclude their historic agreement.
In 1951, nearly 582,162 tons of cargo were handled by Keelung City's harbor. In 1997, the tonnage of cargo handled by the Keelung City port increased to over 26,291,996 tons. Keelung has a population of about 380,000 and has a democratically elected local council of 32 members.
It is expected that the two local governments will exchange delegations in the near future to discuss possible projects in their respective jurisdictions. This is the first Sister City relationship for both Keelung City and Bikini Atoll of the Marshall Islands.
