President Ma Ying-jeou departed on the afternoon of August 11 on a trip to visit five of the ROC's diplomatic allies in South America and the Caribbean. The president delivered brief remarks before boarding the plane, expressing hope that this trip will further solidify the ROC's relations with its allies and strengthen partnerships that focus on cooperation and co-prosperity.
In remarks, the president stated the itinerary for this trip will take him to five of the ROC's allies, namely Paraguay in South America, and Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Christopher and Nevis in the Caribbean. President Ma pointed out that this will mark his first visit to Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Christopher and Nevis in his capacity as president. This will be the second time he visits Paraguay, he remarked. Furthermore, on the outbound journey he will transit in New York City, while on the return he will stop in Los Angeles. President Ma and his delegation are expected to return to Taiwan on August 22.
The president further stated that the main purpose of this trip is to attend the inauguration ceremonies of Paraguay President-elect Horacio Manuel Cartes. He noted that Paraguay is the ROC's only diplomatic partner in the southern hemisphere, and incumbent Paraguayan President Luis Federico Franco Gomez visited Taiwan in May of this year. The bilateral relationship is quite close and friendly, he said. In addition, he stated, this trip will mark the first time that an ROC president has visited Haiti, which makes the stop in that nation all the more historically meaningful.
President Ma emphasized that he and his administration have pursued a "viable diplomacy" policy since taking office five years ago. In addition to reducing animosity between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in the international community, this policy has enabled the ROC to actively solidify the alliances with its diplomatic partners and further enhance its relationships with countries with which it does not maintain diplomatic ties, he said. Consequently, the ROC's relations with the United States, Japan, and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region have improved, he stated, adding that presently 133 jurisdictions throughout the world provide visa-free or landing visa courtesies to the ROC. President Ma expressed his appreciation to the nation's diplomatic personnel for their tireless efforts and contributions in forging these achievements.
The president stated that the ROC has maintained alliances with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for quite a long time and that bilateral cooperation projects have considerably improved the economies and raised standards of living in these countries. He opined that since the ROC's per capita GDP has reached the US$20,000 level, the nation should actively provide assistance to its allies that have experienced relatively slow development.
President Ma mentioned that the delegation he is leading consists of senior government officials, four legislators, representatives from the corporate and academic sectors, and members of the media. He expressed hope that everyone will take advantage of the opportunities when visiting these countries to understand the state of the ROC's diplomatic alliances, as well as future prospects for these partnerships.
The president remarked that he is scheduled to travel over 42,000 kilometers during this trip. Although he will visit distant lands, he said, he hopes that the trip will boost understanding among the people of the ROC and the nations he visits. At the same time, President Ma said, he expects that the partnerships between the ROC and these countries will see even stronger bilateral cooperation and efforts at mutual prosperity in the future, thereby earning the ROC even broader moral support in the international community.
Among those at the airport to wish the president off were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General John C. C. Deng (鄧振中), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ting Joseph Shih (石定), and Burkina Faso Ambassador to the ROC and head of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan Jacques Y. Sawadogo.