President Chen Shui-bian arrived at Palmerola military airfield at 2 p.m. on August 21 (August 22, 4 p.m., Taipei time), marking his arrival in Honduras, the first stop in Central America on his "Trip of Joint Grand Vision and Eternal Concern." ROC (Taiwan) Ambassador to Honduras Lai Chien-Chung and Honduras Director of the Ceremonial Diplomat and Protocol Edgardo Paz Sierke boarded President Chen's aircraft upon arrival to welcome him. They also escorted the president off the plane and to a podium where he was welcomed by Honduras President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, after which President Chen was accorded full military honors.
President Chen and President Zelaya shook hands and parted after the welcoming ceremony. Honduras Vice President Elvin Santos then accompanied President Chen and his entourage on a visit to the ROC (Taiwan) technical mission stationed in Honduras. President Chen received a warm welcome by local villagers and student representatives upon his arrival. After receiving a briefing on the accomplishments of the technical mission, the president provided bonuses to members of the technical mission, young men in the Taiwan Youth Overseas Service, participants in the Taiwan Overseas Volunteers program and a team devoted to boosting power generation in the region. The president visited a vegetable seedlings greenhouse, a demonstration area, and the central collection area for produce of the production and marketing team. Before leaving, President Chen joined in a photo with members of the technical mission as well as Vice President Santos.
The president and his entourage then went to visit the Julio Andino guava farm, which was established with the assistance of Taiwan's technical mission. Shortly after arriving at the farm, President Chen and Vice President Santos stepped into the soft soil to take a closer look at the state of the Taiwan guava trees planted at the orchard. The president and vice president also picked a few guavas and tasted them.
After leaving the guava orchard, the president embarked on a one-and-a-half hour journey before reaching the Intercontinental Hotel, where he received an enthusiastic welcome from representatives of Taiwan companies operating in Honduras, overseas compatriots, and locals dressed in traditional garb. Many sought autographs from the president. President Chen worked his way through the crowd, shaking hands with every person in attendance and expressing his gratitude for coming to greet him.
At 6: 20 p.m. (August 22, 8:20 a.m., Taipei time), President Chen headed to the Honduras Presidential Building to meet with President Zelaya. The two held cordial discussions, exchanging opinions on a wide range of topics of mutual concern. The meeting between the two leaders lasted for about 2.5 hours. Subsequently, the two leaders then went to the first floor Morazan Hall in the Presidential Building to witness the signing of an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and service/official passports holders. President Chen received a warm welcome from the officials on hand for the ceremony, and he was invited to make remarks.
President Chen said he has two missions in visiting Honduras this time. The first is to carry out a state visit at the invitation of Honduras President Zelaya, while the other is to assemble with leaders from other Central American and Caribbean allies who will take part in the Sixth Summit of the Heads of States and Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
The president furthermore said he will hold discussions with the leaders of these allied nations in the region on various cooperative development projects being carried out and the political situation in these countries. The leaders will also exchange opinions on environmental protection and energy topics. He said he hopes this multilateral framework will help to strengthen the cooperative relationship between Taiwan and its allies in the region.
At 9 p.m. (August 22, 11 a.m., Taipei time), President Chen attended a welcome dinner hosted by President Zelaya in the second floor banquet hall of the Presidential Building. Serenaded by music, entourages from both countries enjoyed a pleasant meal, marking a perfect end to President Chen's first day in Honduras.