President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation led by Jordan's Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, President of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of November 2. The president extended a warm welcome and expressed his hopes for strengthened ties and expanded substantive bilateral relations. Her Royal Highness is the wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai.
President Ma remarked that ties between the ROC and Jordan date back many years. The father of the Princess, the late King Hussein, visited the ROC in 1959, and the president said that while he was only in fourth grade at the time he remembers the trip clearly. Current King Abdullah II has also paid several visits to the ROC while serving as Commander of Jordanian Special Forces. Former ROC President Lee Teng-hui made a visit to Jordan in 1995, demonstrating the ROC's close relations with Jordan and the UAE, he said.
President Ma commented that the ROC maintains close economic and trade ties with Jordan and the UAE. Last year, trade between Taiwan and Jordan stood at US$220 million, while trade between Taiwan and the UAE reached US$2.7 billion, he said. Meanwhile, six Taiwan companies have made investments in garment factories in Jordan and are responsible for about 10% of that nation's annual exports. In addition, Taiwan's Evergreen Marine, ACER, and other renowned firms have established a presence in Dubai, and Mega International Commercial Bank is slated to open a representative office in Abu Dhabi at the end of this year. The president stated that he hopes to see continued expansion of trade between the nations in the future.
President Ma expressed gratitude to Her Royal Highness for helping Taiwan obtain the right to host the 2010 FEI General Assembly, and praised her for her outstanding contributions to the FEI and the International Olympic Committee, noting that she has been singled out by SportBusiness International magazine as “one of the most effective and energetic leaders of world sport.” He said he hopes her visit here will help promote equestrian sports, adding that he fully expected her to be elected overwhelmingly to another term as president of the FEI.
Princess Haya was escorted to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling and 2010 FEI General Assembly Preparatory Committee Honorary Chairman Eugene Y. H. Chien to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu.