President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of October 10 at the Presidential Office met with a delegation from the Republic of Guatemala led by President Álvaro Colom Caballeros and a delegation led by President Johnson Toribiong and Mrs. Toribiong from the Republic of Palau that are in Taiwan to participate in the ROC's centenary festivities. President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended his deepest appreciation to the delegations from both countries for their friendship and good wishes.
President Colom on this visit to the ROC specially presented the nation with a replica of the Mayan Dos Pilas Stela 9. Prior to the meeting, the two leaders jointly presided over a ceremony in the Entrance Hall of the Presidential Office unveiling the replica of the monument, which symbolizes the mutual friendship and resolute alliance between the two countries.
During discussions between the two, President Ma remarked that Guatemala and Taiwan are geographically distant from each other. In addition, Guatemala is presently in the run-up to a presidential election. In light of this, he said he is deeply moved that President Colom has led a delegation to Taiwan to attend this year's Double Tenth National Day celebrations. President Ma praised President Colom for his diligence over the three years and nine months he has been in office and his love for the people of Guatemala. He also made every effort to promote wellbeing for society and political and economic development, President Ma said, noting that President Colom is deeply popular and respected among the Guatemalan people.
The president recalled a visit he made to Guatemala two years ago. During that trip, he was able to see the Mayan city of Tikal, one of the greatest archaeological sites in that nation, which he said left a deep impression on him. The astronomy, mathematics, calendars, words, and sculpture of the Mayan culture make this site one of the world's most treasured relics, he said. The civilization that was present constitutes one of the world's ancient cultures, he pointed out. President Ma said he hopes that the two countries will be able to further enhance their cultural exchanges, forging even greater room for cooperation.
President Ma also mentioned that last time that President Colom attended Double Tenth National Day festivities, he presented as a gift artistic items made out of Guatemalan adzuki beans. The timing of that visit happened to be the harvest time for adzuki beans in Wandan Township of Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. President Ma penned a poem entitled Red Bean Friendship at the time, which 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." This poem, he said, also represents his appreciation of President Colom's friendship.
Lastly, President Ma expressed his hope that based on the existing foundation, the two countries will continue to engage in cultural and economic & trade exchanges in order to create greater wellbeing for the peoples of the two nations.
Shortly after his meeting with President Colom, President Ma met with President Toribiong, during which he stated that he is pleased to see the close cooperation between the ROC and Palau over the years and the achievements yielded from this cooperation. The president said that the ROC has long provided assistance to Palau in the construction of roads and piers, and has also provided ferries to enable transportation links between Palau's islands. The two countries, he remarked, have also worked together in developing renewable energy. The ROC is also presently carrying out a solar lamp project in Palau to provide sources of light in the evening, and the president said that these joint initiatives have been quite successful.
The president stressed that the ROC is one of the world's leaders in the development of green energy. Coupled with Palau's abundant sunshine, the president said he is confident that cooperation between the two countries will help to transform Palau into a low carbon nation, which will further enable efficient and reasonably priced green energy to become more common throughout Pacific island nations.
President Ma also expressed his admiration for Palau's aggressive efforts to protect its ecosystem and ban on the hunting of sharks for their fins. He also said he hopes Palau will continue to support the ROC's efforts to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, enabling both countries to work together to make even greater contributions to the world.
Vice President Siew, Secretary-General to the President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖), National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真), and Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) also attended the meetings.