President Ma Ying-jeou at 9:00 a.m. (5:00 a.m. Taipei time) on March 24 began the second day of his trip to Nauru. In addition to meeting with Nauru President Marcus Stephen and planting a tree to commemorate his visit to the nation, President Ma visited phosphate mines and the Nauru Secondary School. He also attended an agricultural exhibition to better understand the agricultural assistance that the TaiwanICDF Technical Mission in Nauru has provided, as well as the results of the "360 Plan" that Taiwan has been promoting.
The "360 Plan" is designed to help Nauru within three years to produce six types of agricultural and livestock products so that the nation can achieve self-sufficiency in food supply. The vegetables that were desplayed in the auditorium of the Nauru Secondary School symbolized the close cooperation and deep friendship between Nauru and the ROC.
President Ma said that the "360 Plan" is not only designed for Nauru. Rather, similar projects are being implemented in all of the six allies that he is visiting on this journey. While the development projects vary from one nation to the next, it is hoped that these initiatives will promote development throughout the region.
After lunch, President Ma and his delegation headed to the airport. A ceremony was held to bid them farewell, after which the group boarded their chartered aircraft and departed for the Solomon Islands.
President Ma's plane touched down at Honiara International Airport in the Solomon Islands at 2:00 p.m. (11: a.m. Taipei time). Solomon Islands Chief of Protocol Salana Kalu and the ROC's Ambassador to the Solomon Islands George Chan boarded the aircraft to welcome President Ma. Meanwhile, Solomon Islands Governor General Sir Frank Kabui, Prime Minister Derek Sikua, and Foreign Minister William Haomae greeted President Ma after he deboarded.
As a fleet from the ROC's navy is currently making a port call in the Solomon Islands, the president, after reaching his hotel, met with officer and cadet representatives, who welcomed him. The president thanked everyone for their hard work.
President Ma and his delegation paid a visit to Governor General Kabui at 3:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. Taipei time) and expressed their appreciation to the Solomon Islands for its invitation to visit.
About one hour later, the president headed to Lawson Tama Soccer Stadium, where he and Prime Minister Sikua jointly presided over a performance by the color guard of the ROC fleet on call in the Solomon Islands.
Given the passion for soccer in the Solomon Islands, President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, presented 250 soccer balls to the Solomon Islands as a gift. Prime Minister Sikua accepted the gift on behalf of his nation.
President Ma remarked that the ROC is the most resolute partner of the Solomon Islands. Over the past 27 years, the two nations have engaged in close cooperation based on the principle of reciprocity. The president said that the enthusiastic support by the Solomon Islands for the ROC (Taiwan) fills us with confidence about the state of the alliance between the two countries. The president expressed his hopes that the alliance between the ROC and the Solomon Islands will continue in the future and the friendship between the people of the two countries will always exist.
In the evening, Governor General Kabui decorated President Ma with "The Star of the Solomon Islands" and also hosted a state banquet in the president's honor. In remarks at the ceremony, President Ma said that this medal of honor highlights the deep friendship that the government and people of the Solomon Islands have for the ROC. He said that he would like to share the honor with all the people of the ROC. "The Star of the Solomon Islands" represents peace and freedom, he said, adding that as both countries are peace-loving and cherish freedom and democracy, he is confident that the friendship between the two nations will rise to a new level under the leadership of Governor General Kabui.
President Ma remarked that after he was elected president, he requested that foreign aid provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conform to the principles of having proper goals, abiding by legal processes, and exhibiting effective administration. He said that such policy has not only helped the ROC to further solidify relations with its diplomatic allies, but also has ended checkbook diplomacy, which some nations had once accused the ROC of engaging in. Such criticism is now a thing of the past, he said, and indeed, thanks to its humanitarian assistance, many people are realizing that the ROC is a peacemaker and also a promoter of humanitarian initiatives. President Ma commented that the ROC now enjoys a level of respect in the world community that it did not have in the past. He particularly pointed to the ROC's assistance to Haiti, which garnered the ROC a lot of positive exposure in international media reports. President Ma said that this makes him feel that our efforts have not been in vain.
Lastly, the president stressed that in the course of the ROC's development over the past 60 years, some experiences have been successful, while some have not been quite as successful. He said that the successful portion includes land reform, economic development, education, and the implementation of a national healthcare system. The president stated that the ROC is quite willing to share these experiences with its friends. We deeply believe, he said, that if the world desires peace, mankind must help each other. In particular, he said, nations that enjoy a relatively high level of development need to assist countries that lag behind in some areas. This is the road that must be taken with respect to social development, he said. President Ma reiterated his appreciation to Governor General Kabui for his invitation to visit and extended an invitation to the governor general to make a trip to Taiwan.