President Ma Ying-jeou arrived at Majuro International Airport in the Marshall Islands at 9:00 a.m. on March 22 Marshall Islands time (5:00 a.m. Taipei time), and received full military honors upon his arrival. Marshall Islands Chief of Protocol Neijong Edwards and ROC Ambassador to the Marshall Islands Bruce Jung-da Linghu boarded the plane upon its arrival to greet President Ma. Marshall Islands President Jurelang Zedkaia and Foreign Minister John Silk were waiting on the tarmac next to the plane to welcome President Ma.
After the broadcast of the national anthems of the Marshall Islands and the ROC, President Zedkaia and President Ma then delivered remarks. Once the two heads of state finished speaking, President Ma was saluted by the color guard of the Marshall Islands. He also interacted with children and overseas Taiwan compatriots who were on hand at the airport to warmly greet him.
In his remarks, President Ma commented that this marks the first time he has visited the Marshall Islands, and it is also the first stop on his journey to visit Taiwan's South Pacific allies. The president expressed his hopes that this trip will pave the way for an even stronger alliance between the two nations. President Ma said the ROC and the Marshall Islands already maintain cooperation in many areas, such as agriculture, fishing, technology, medicine, education, and culture. He said he is pleased that this cooperation has yielded concrete results.
The president also remarked that the Marshall Islands and the ROC are both nations that love freedom, democracy and peace. The Marshall Islands, he stated, has spared no effort in expressing support for the ROC's participation in international organizations and activities. He said the ROC is deeply moved by the many instances in which the Marshall Islands has spoken on behalf of the ROC in international settings. The president said he hopes that cooperation and interaction among the two countries will develop even further in the future.
After completing his address, President Ma headed to the Cabinet Conference Room where he and President Zedkaia held talks, exchanging opinions on a wide range of issues of mutual concern. President Ma expressed his concern about the impact of climate change on the Marshall Islands, commenting that the ROC and the Marshall Islands will undoubtedly continue to strengthen their interaction. President Zedkaia reiterated the staunch alliance between the two countries and the Marshall Islands' resolute support for the ROC, saying that the two will continue to work towards global progress and prosperity. After the talks, President Ma presented President Zedkaia with an HTC cell phone made in Taiwan. This served as a memento of the conversations held between the two leaders. The two heads of state then made their way to a plaza next to the International Convention Center where a ceremony was held to plant trees. The type of tree planted was Guettarda Speciosa, symbolizing an "evergreen" alliance between the two countries.
The TaiwanICDF presently is operating a mobile medical mission in the Marshall Islands, providing free service to locals. Cataracts are a frequent malady facing the people of the Marshall Islands. To express his concern and also better understand the achievements of the ROC medical mission there, President Ma and President Zedkaia traveled to a local hotel to hear a briefing on the services provided by the ROC medical personnel.
After the briefing on the medical mission, President Ma provided a list of medical equipment and supplies donated by the government and people of the ROC to the Marshall Islands with the hope of raising the quality of medical treatment in the nation.
President Ma said that in the past, Taiwan received direct assistance from foreign friends, helping to pave the way for the development of its medical care. Taiwan, he said, gradually has accumulated experience and built up strong medical services, to the point where today it is an exporter of medical care rather than an importer. Given Taiwan's medical technology, it has the ability and the willingness to pay back the international community, he said. The president specifically noted that a number of major epidemics have swept across the world in recent years, such as the H1N1 strain of the flu virus, which threatened Taiwan. He stated that some experts predicted that this flu could cause thousands of deaths in Taiwan. Efforts by the government, however, effectively reduced the spread of the H1N1 outbreak, he said. President Ma noted that Taiwan ranked fourth in the world in its inoculation rate against H1N1, and was even able to provide vaccines to other countries, thereby fulfilling its responsibility as a member of the international community.
President Zedkaia hosted a state luncheon for President Ma at noon. The Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe, which is accompanying President Ma on this trip, performed during the event. The colorful display of the culture of Taiwan's indigenous tribes was warmly received by all in attendance.
President Ma then returned to Majuro International Airport where he boarded a plane that left at 2:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. Taipei time) for Kiribati, the next leg on his trip.