The Office of the President held a press conference on the afternoon of February 26 to announce that President Ma Ying-jeou will lead a delegation on a visit to diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize from March 13 to 19. Presidential Office Spokesperson Charles I-hsin Chen (陳以信) presided over the press conference, while Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Ching-shan Hou (侯清山) explained the planned itinerary.
Deputy Minister Hou stated that in response to invitations from Guatemala and Belize, President Ma will lead a delegation to those countries from March 13 to 19 to strengthen ties with diplomatic allies in Latin America and the Caribbean, and highlight the ROC's successes in implementing its "viable diplomacy" policy. While in Guatemala the president will make a courtesy call on the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) and deliver a speech there. In addition, the prime ministers of Caribbean diplomatic allies St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines will all meet for talks with President Ma while he is in Belize.
Deputy Minister Hou remarked that this trip is codenamed the Forever Peaceful Project. This alludes to the solid and lasting friendship between the ROC and its diplomatic allies, and further serves as a clear signal that, under the "viable diplomacy" policy, a virtuous cycle is now at work in the ROC's relations with mainland China and the international community. The delegation for the trip includes Foreign Minister David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), Deputy Secretary-General to the President Hsu-Tsen Hsiao (蕭旭岑), and several cabinet heads. Scheduled to depart on the morning of March 13 (Sunday), the group will arrive in Guatemala on March 14 and depart Guatemala for Belize on March 16 before arriving back in Taiwan on the afternoon of March 19 (Saturday) after a trip of seven days and six nights. The delegation will stop over in Houston on the outbound leg and in Los Angeles on the return.
Deputy Minister Hou also mentioned that President Ma will meet with the heads of state of Guatemala and Belize, the prime ministers of St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the president of the Central American Parliament to engage in wide-ranging discussions of bilateral, multilateral, regional, and international issues of shared concern. The hope is that such discussions will further strengthen diplomatic ties between the ROC and the diplomatic allies on this trip's itinerary. In addition, President Ma will also host banquets for overseas compatriots residing in the nations he visits, along with staff members of the ROC's embassies, to acknowledge the importance of their work overseas and express the government's concern and appreciation.