On October 11, President Chen Shui-bian received José Alfredo Gómez, vice president of Nicaragua, and his wife to express appreciation for their attending the ROC's National Day celebrations.
President Chen said that the National Day of Republic of China (Taiwan) is also the anniversary of the day José Alfredo Gómez was elected as the vice president of Nicaragua. "On behalf of the government and the 23 million people of Taiwan, I am grateful to you for spending such a memorable moment with us," said President Chen.
President Chen said that Nicaragua has long been a closest friend of Taiwan in Central America, and has voiced for Taiwan's entry to the WHO and the UN for many years.
With regard to the economic relations, President Chen said that Taiwan's investment in Nicaragua's export processing zones has reached US$200 million and created more than 30,000 jobs for Nicaragua. President Chen added that the negotiation of a Taiwan-Nicaragua free trade agreement was just finished and that as soon as the agreement comes into effect, more Taiwanese businesses would be attracted to invest in Nicaragua.
President Chen also said that the academic exchanges between the two countries have become more frequent. There are currently 20 Nicaraguan students studying in Taiwan's colleges on scholarships provided by this country.
Also present at the meeting were Juan Marcos Garcia Borgen, Nicaraguan ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan), Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Yang Tzu-pao, and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Shyh-fang.