President Chen Shui-bian on August 29 concluded his "Trip of Joint Grand Vision and Eternal Concern," touching down in Taiwan shortly after 10:50 p.m. The president made a statement upon his arrival at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
The president said that one of the primary missions of his trip was to travel to Honduras to attend the Sixth Summit of the Heads of States and Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Central America and the Dominican Republic. This was the first summit meeting with diplomatic allies in the region since the severance of diplomatic ties between the ROC (Taiwan) and Costa Rica. All of the leaders and representatives attending the summit felt that amid Taiwan's increasingly precarious diplomatic situation, the decision by President Chen to personally lead a delegation to attend the summit was the correct one. In addition, the participants stressed and reaffirmed their commitment to continuing to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The decision by Costa Rica to end its alliance with Taiwan only served to bolster support for Taiwan among the nation's diplomatic allies in Central America and the Dominican Republic, he said.
President Chen furthermore stated that the leaders and representatives attending the summit exchanged opinions on a wide range of topics related to joint cooperation, as well as energy and environmental protection topics. He said a number of cooperative agreements were reached, including the establishment of a financing fund by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and encouraging Taiwan's state-run enterprises to make direct investment in the region. It was also decided to expand the flexibility for the uses of the Fund for Co-prosperity Project with Allied Countries.
The heads of state and representatives from each country attending the summit also took advantage of opportunities at various venues to express their support for Taiwan's efforts to become a member of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. The president said that the multilateral cooperation mechanism under the Hong Yi Project will help to further strengthen and solidify the diplomatic alliances between Taiwan and its allies in Central America and the Dominican Republic. President Chen lauded the summit as a resounding success in promoting diplomacy. The president also expressed his deep appreciation for all the hard work carried out by people associated with organizing and attending the summit, as well as those in his entourage.
The president also noted that in addition to the summit meeting, while in Honduras he and Honduras President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales reached a preliminary agreement on having Taiwan provide assistance in investing in the power generation network in that country. President Chen also went horse riding at the invitation of President Zelaya.
While in El Salvador, President Elias Antonio Saca personally held a press conference to sign and formally promulgate a free trade agreement between Taiwan and El Salvador, which had previously been approved by the El Salvador National Congress. In Nicaragua, President Jose Daniel Ortega Saavedra and his wife personally welcomed President Chen on his arrival at the airport and then drove President Chen around for nearly six hours to show him the measures taken by the Nicaraguan government in implementation of its Zero Hunger Program. President Chen said President Ortega expressed his sincerest welcome and thanks to the visiting delegation, as well as expressing his utmost admiration for the 23 million people of Taiwan.
President Chen said that the interaction he was able to have with these three heads of state will surely help to promote a rise in bilateral trade, further cooperative relations in a variety of areas, and ultimately strengthen the long-standing friendship and alliances between Taiwan and these Central American nations.
President Chen noted that in the course of traveling to and from Central America, his plane was allowed to refuel and make short stops at Anchorage International Airport in Alaska. American Institute in Taiwan Honorary Chairman William Brown boarded the plane to welcome him at the outset of his journey, while AIT Board Chairman Raymond Burghardt came to greet President Chen during the stop in Alaska on his way back to Taiwan. The president said that friendly but candid meetings were held during the transit stops. In addition to expressing his appreciation to the United States government for providing arrangements for the stops, the president said he continued to communicate with the American officials about a proposed referendum to be held here on whether Taiwan should apply to enter the United Nations under the name "Taiwan."
Lastly, the president said that success of the government's diplomatic work relies on unity among the people. As long as the people of Taiwan are of one mind, the government and people of Taiwan will be able to create even more room for Taiwan in the international community.