President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 26 with a group of high-ranking military and police officers from allied nations who are in Taiwan to undergo a national development workshop. This is the fifth group of officers taking part in the workshop, which is organized by the Ministry of National Defense. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, expressed a cordial welcome to the group members and their families.
The president remarked that the military and police officers come from eight nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Their coming to Taiwan and participating in the workshop helps to enhance relations between the ROC and their home countries, he said.
President Ma told the visitors that he has made four visits to allies in Latin America and the Caribbean in the two years since assuming office, adding that he has visited some countries in the region twice. The president said that he was deeply impressed by the beautiful scenery in these countries, as well as the friendliness, warmth, and hospitality of the people there.
President Ma commented that in January of this year he attended the ceremonies to inaugurate a new president in Honduras, and took advantage of his visit in the region to make a brief three-hour stop in the Dominican Republic. While the primary purpose of his trip was to attend the inauguration in Honduras, he said that his trip came shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, which resulted in a huge loss of life there, therefore he made a brief stop in the Dominican Republic, which is Haiti's closest neighbor, to provide assistance in the relief efforts. Despite the short period he spent there, the stopover enabled him to fulfill an extremely important mission, he said. The president said that the ROC has provided a total of over US$16 million in material aid, medicine, and donations to Haiti. In addition, it is creating vocational training and public health training centers, as well as building 1,200 permanent residences there. Moreover, the huge loss of life caused by the earthquake left countless children orphaned, so the ROC is providing financial assistance to between 8,000 and 10,000 orphans in Haiti, he said. Meanwhile, the ROC will dispatch a delegation to Haiti in June to provide further assistance.
President Ma stated that the ROC places great importance on its relations with its allies and is willing to provide the greatest amount of assistance possible to help its friends overcome challenges. The nation will continue to embrace this principle in the future, he said, adding that the ROC will promote diplomacy that is flexible, aboveboard, and humanitarian, and will share its development experiences with its friends.
The president furthermore pointed out that over the past two years he has strived to improve relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait primarily in an effort to reduce tensions in the Strait and maintain regional peace and stability. At the same time, he said, the ROC and mainland China will no longer engage in a contentious struggle to lure away the diplomatic allies of the other. President Ma said that the promotion of flexible diplomacy has already yielded positive results, as relations with many nations in the region and throughout the world that do not maintain formal diplomatic ties with the ROC have improved. In addition, mutual trust has been re-established at the highest levels, he said. This proves that an improvement in cross-strait relations will bring Taiwan greater opportunities for peace and prosperity, the president remarked.
President Ma stressed, however, that the ROC's improved ties with mainland China will in no way impact its longstanding friendships with its diplomatic allies. Existing cooperation projects will continue to be carried out, he said, and projects will be extended or expanded as long as a consensus for such has been reached between the ROC and the partner country.
President Ma expressed his confidence that the visitors will sense the warmth and hospitality of the Taiwan people on their three-week stay here. He said he hopes that upon their return home, they will share their experiences here with officials and the public back home.
The officers and their families were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu and Chief of the General Staff Lin Cheng-yi to meet President Ma. Also in attendance was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ko Kuang-yueh.