President Ma Ying-jeou met with United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere Chairman Mr. Eliot Engel at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of August 20. The president extended a warm welcome to Subcommittee Chairman Engel on behalf of the ROC government and people of Taiwan.
President Ma said that Congressman Engel has long paid close attention to issues regarding Taiwan and he regularly encourages the ROC's diplomatic allies in Latin America to maintain their strong friendships and cooperative relationships with Taiwan. The president said Congressman Engel is one of Taiwan's best friends in the House of Representatives. President Ma expressed his deep appreciation to Congressman Engel for his staunch support for Taiwan.
The president noted that during a recent overseas trip that took him to the Republic of Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, he made transit stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco. During the brief stops, he said, he had contact with 31 senators and house members. He exchanged opinions with eight of them in person and the other 23 over the telephone. President Ma said that Congressman Engel was one of the congressmen with whom he spoke over the telephone and that the discussion between the two was quite pleasant, leaving a deep impression on him. President Ma said while details of the transit stops received little media coverage, in fact there were a number of opportunities for Taiwan and American officials to communicate and hold a dialogue during the stopovers. The president said he believes his trip was a rousing success.
Congressman Engel said that Taiwan is an extremely interesting country. It not only displays economic might, but also its experience in democratization has been noted worldwide as a model. He said the people of Taiwan are extremely kindhearted and friendly. As a result, he has always maintained a fondness for Taiwan. Congressman Engel pledged to President Ma that he will continue to support Taiwan and work his best to contribute to friendly relations between Taiwan and the United States.
Congressman Engel was accompanied to the Presidential Office to meet President Ma in the afternoon by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Ching-shan Hou. Also in attendance was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ho Szu-yin.