President Ma Ying-jeou departed on a trip on the evening of March 21 that will take him to six diplomatic allies in the South Pacific, namely the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Republic of Nauru, the Solomon Islands and the Republic of Palau. The president delivered brief remarks at the airport before his departure.
The president noted that after leaving Taiwan, the plane carrying him and his delegation will first stop in Guam for refueling, after which it will continue on to the Marshall Islands. The president's next stop will be in Kiribati, followed by Tuvalu, Nauru, and the Solomon Islands. They will then fly back to Guam and then to Palau, after which they will return to Taiwan on March 27. The president explained that this marks his first visit as president to the ROC's allies in the South Pacific.
President Ma remarked that while none of these six allied countries are large, they all play an extremely important role by supporting Taiwan's fishing industry, helping the ROC maintain its international status, and fostering contact between the ROC and the region. The president stated that all of the countries he will visit on this trip are island nations. In the case of Kiribati, for instance, its islands are spread across an area of ocean spanning over two million square kilometers. This is an extremely important fishing grounds, and it is vital for the ROC's deep-sea fishing industry, he said.
The president said that he had originally planned a trip to the region to hold an international conference last year. However, he later decided instead to make a visit to each nation in order to better understand our allies. President Ma said that the theme of this trip is "Effective Cooperation and Sustainable Development." He explained that the ROC maintains extremely close cooperative relationships with these nations in the fields of medicine, agriculture, fisheries, and education. In particular, he said, a number of students from these countries come to Taiwan to study. Upon the completion of their studies here and return to their home nations, they become resolute friends of Taiwan, he said. Consequently, the ROC has consistently put great emphasis on its relations with countries in the region, and this is an extremely important reason for this visit, the president remarked.
President Ma stated that so far this year, the ROC has adopted various new policies and measures that have won applause from the international community. For example, he said, shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January, the ROC sent a world-class search and rescue team to the disaster area. To this point, the ROC has already spent US$16 million in rescue and relief efforts there, which has significantly improved Taiwan's international image. The president said that diplomacy can help the nation to earn more respect, adding that maintaining Taiwan's dignity is an extremely important foreign policy objective.
With this in mind, over a period a time the ROC has mapped out different cooperative projects to meet the specific needs of these six allies in the South Pacific, he said. Regardless of the initiatives introduced, the ROC's assistance projects will without a doubt conform to the principles of having proper goals, conforming to legal processes, and exhibiting effective administration. This will steer the ROC's diplomatic agenda in the proper direction, and will ensure that our humanitarian assistance, as well as cultural and economic interaction, play a meaningful role, he said. The president stated that he believes Taiwan will benefit from such policies, as they will afford greater room for our nation in the international community.
President Ma explained that flexible diplomacy has enabled Taiwan to win the friendship and respect of allied nations. In addition, this policy is also gradually changing our relationship with mainland China, he said, as the two sides of the Taiwan Strait no longer try to lure away the other's diplomatic allies. Over the past year and 10 months, diplomatic contentiousness between the two sides has stopped, which is a positive development for both sides, he said. The president said this has created a win-win-win situation for the international community, Taiwan, and mainland China. He furthermore said he hopes that this situation will continue.