President Ma Ying-jeou on April 17 completed his itinerary in Africa on the journey codenamed "Project Benevolence and Friendship." On the plane back to Taiwan, the president delivered an address over the public announcement system to discuss what he has taken away from this trip, and to address issues of domestic concern. The president also expressed his gratitude to all of the members of the delegation accompanying him for their efforts and hard work.
The president stated that the main goal of this journey was to inspect the fruits of the ROC's diplomatic work in Africa over the years. He remarked that the ROC began providing assistance to Africa in the late 1950s, over five decades ago. This assistance will continue in the future, and be expanded if conditions permit, he said. President Ma commented that during the time he spent in Africa, he discovered a variety of issues related to the assistance provided by Taiwan that need to be addressed. Ad-hoc meetings were held during the trip to look into some of the issues, while after the delegation's return to Taiwan, a task force will continue examining assistance provided by the ROC and address related problems.
President Ma expressed his feeling that "Project Benevolence and Friendship" was extremely successful and that it achieved the objectives laid out prior to the trip, which included solidifying the ROC's alliances with its diplomatic partners in Africa, bolstering friendship, spreading Taiwan's voice in the region, and helping to build "good karma" for Taiwan. From the standpoint of solidifying diplomatic alliances, the president pointed to the joint communiqués signed with Burkina Faso, the Republic of The Gambia, and the Kingdom of Swaziland. Most important, however, is the substantive cooperation between the ROC and these nations, which is helping to create even stronger bonds with these countries, he said.
As for bolstering friendship, President Ma stated that international relations include interpersonal relationships, not only those between heads of state, but also at the level of premiers, ministers, and grassroots officials. The visits to these countries, he said, have helped to enhance mutual friendship. Many officials from these nations who have visited the ROC think back fondly on the time spent here, while ROC nationals serving overseas have been energized by their work. We bolster friendship, the president said, in order to build a wide network of friends and create a fresh image for Taiwan, and the methods currently used are aboveboard, pragmatic, and effective.
With regard to the relationship between foreign policy and domestic policy, President Ma remarked that foreign policy is an extension of domestic policy, and that domestic policy is the foundation of foreign policy. Both are important, he said, adding that during this trip overseas, a number of issues of importance have been playing out in Taiwan, such as a return to market-based electricity rates and reform of the tax system, especially the implementation of a capital gains tax on securities. The president acknowledged that these issues have generated quite a bit of discussion, and even controversy. Addressing the issue of price stability, the president recognized that with the hike in gasoline prices and the impending increase in electricity rates, it appears that price hikes for a wide range of other goods may be in the offing. President Ma said that over the past several days he has spoken over the telephone with Premier Sean C. Chen (陳冲), Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), and Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) to remain abreast of the latest developments in Taiwan and to jointly determine how to keep inflation under control. The president said that presently an Executive Yuan price task force has already begun closely tracking the prices of specific products to understand the exact state of the market. He added that necessary response measures will be adopted.
President Ma commented that in both domestic as well as foreign policy, a nation's leader must maintain a broad-based perspective and consider both objective and subjective conditions before making decisions. In the process of making decisions, so long as "one is aboveboard and focuses on the public interest, wellbeing, and dignity," then the correct path will be taken, and will hopefully win the support of the public and the international community.
The president mentioned that on that same morning he had held brief discussions with Swaziland's King Mswati III when the two signed a joint communiqué. King Mswati III, he said, repeatedly stressed that this trip to Swaziland by the delegation from the ROC was an enormous success. Besides helping to boost development in Swaziland, the leaders of the two countries were able to go jogging together, which enabled the public of Swaziland to see a different side of their king and enhanced his image among the people.
President Ma emphasized that diplomacy is a slow and cumulative effort, and when a nation's leader visits a country's allies, the hope is to enhance bilateral friendship. President Ma again expressed his gratitude to the media for their willingness to work in somewhat challenging conditions, as well as staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and participants in the delegation for fulfilling their respective duties. The work by everyone, he said, helped to make this journey a successful one and achieved the objective of forging even closer ties with our diplomatic allies.