President Ma Ying-jeou met with Guatemalan Vice President Rafael Espada and Mrs. Espada on March 2. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, expressed a warm welcome to the newlyweds on their visit to Taiwan.
The president remarked that Vice President Espada previously served as a physician in the United States for 37 years. He is a renowned cardiologist who established a cardiac surgery center in Guatemala, helping countless patients. The Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital recently dispatched a medical delegation to provide free medical services in Guatemala, and the mission was an enormous success. The two sides have reached an arrangement by which Guatemala will dispatch physicians to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for internships. The president said he is pleased to see bilateral cooperation projects in the area of medicine progressing smoothly, thanks to the great efforts of Vice President Espada. In addition, the president also expressed his hope that cooperative projects in Guatemala, including community redevelopment projects and the building of homes for low-income households, will continue to move forward.
President Ma commented that three days earlier he had attended a poetry reading at the Wandan Red Bean Festival in Pingtung County. The area is the center of Taiwan's red bean (adzuki bean) production and the quality of the beans there is outstanding. The event reminded him of Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom, who when visiting Taiwan presented him with a gift of Guatemalan adzuki beans. In Guatemala, adzuki beans are also a symbol of good fortune. President Ma penned a poem entitled Red Bean Friendship, which had been translated into English and Spanish, and asked Vice President Espada to give it to President Colom as a token of friendship. The English version of the poem reads as follows: "Red beans grown in Wandan, the best in all Taiwan, remind me of you, old friend, through thick and thin a loved one."
Earlier in the evening, Vice President Vincent C. Siew met with Vice President Espada and Mrs. Espada and remarked that this is the third visit to Taiwan by his counterpart, which points to the strong bond between the two nations. He expressed his hope that Vice President and Mrs. Espada would have a fruitful visit. Vice President Siew also praised his counterpart as a highly respected political figure who is loved by the public, and has spared no effort in helping President Colom to carry out his administrative agenda. Vice President Siew added that he hopes continued bilateral cooperation and exchanges will lead to even closer ties between the two countries.
The visitors were accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang early in the evening to meet with President Ma and Vice President Siew.