President Ma Ying-jeou met with the Governor of Guam Felix P. Camacho and Mrs. Camacho at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of May 14 and expressed a warm welcome on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan) to them and their delegation on their visit to Taiwan.
The president noted that in 1973 Governor Camacho visited Taiwan with his father. At the time, Governor Camacho's father was serving as the first democratically elected governor of Guam and he made a special visit here to ink a sister city agreement with Taipei City. In 2005 Governor Camacho made another visit to Taiwan and at that time President Ma was serving as Mayor of Taipei. The president said that the two met on that visit, and that Guam and Taipei City have a long history of friendship, he said.
President Ma also mentioned that he briefly stopped in Guam for his first and only visit there in 1974 when he was on his way to the United States to study. The plane he took landed at Guam's airport for refueling. The president recalled that at that time aviation ties between Taiwan and Japan had been severed and that flights heading to the United States from Taiwan stopped in Guam along the way. This, however, provided him with an opportunity to take a stroll through the capital. The president said that many Chinese compatriots have participated in various construction projects in Guam and made important contributions to Guam's economic development, pointing out in particular the role played by the Taiwan Power Co. President Ma noted that Governor Camacho recently unveiled the Guam project, which aims to strengthen Guam's infrastructure. The president expressed his hope that compatriots from Taiwan will have the opportunity to participate in the initiative, adding that he looks forward to a continued strengthening of cooperation and interaction between the two sides based on the existing foundation.
With respect to relations between Taiwan and the United States, President Ma reiterated that over the past year, the administration has not only worked to improve ties with mainland China, but also has sought to enhance mutual trust in the Taiwan-US relationship. Relations between the two sides are quite friendly, he said. In April, a group of American scholars came to Taiwan to attend activities marking the 30th anniversary of the passage and implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act. Many of the visitors remarked that now marks the best period in relations between Taiwan, the United States and mainland China in the past 60 years. The president said he was quite pleased to hear this.
President Ma commented that this is the second time Governor Camacho has led a delegation to Taiwan since taking office. He encouraged the visitors to spend a few extra days here and see for themselves the state of Taiwan's political and economic development. The president also expressed his desire for the bilateral relationship to continue to more forward.