President Ma Ying-jeou departed New York City at 6:00 a.m. in the morning of August 13 local time (6:00 p.m. on August 13 Taipei time) on a chartered aircraft bound for the Republic of Haiti. The president delivered remarks while on board, explaining the achievements of the transit stop that he had just completed in New York.
In remarks, the president stated that this trip, which will take him to diplomatic allies in South America and the Caribbean, includes transit stops in New York City on the outbound and in Los Angeles on his return, mainly for the sake of convenience. President Ma pointed out that the ROC and the United States have embraced a principle of "low key, no surprises" in their relations and that in the five years since he took office as president, mutual trust has been gradually re-established. The ROC has won respect from the United States, and he and his delegation have been allowed to participate in a wider range of activities and have received a higher level reception by the United States, he said. The president commented that the level of courtesy shown to him and his delegation on this transit stop in New York was higher than on other transit stops he has made in the United States in the past.
With respect to his itinerary during the stop in New York City, President Ma stated, on August 12 he placed calls to 12 senior US political figures, including a number of officials in the administrative branch. In addition, he pointed out, he met with five important political figures at his hotel and attended a reception with over 10 business leaders. The president said he also visited New York University, as well as Ground Zero where the World Trade Center towers used to stand. Furthermore, he attended a ceremony at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New York (CCBA-NY), where a new plaque was unveiled, and expressed his best wishes to leaders of the overseas compatriot community in New York.
President Ma emphasized that the three outdoor activities scheduled during his layover in New York were extremely significant. First, he said, the opportunity to visit his alma mater of New York University showed that interaction between Taiwan and the United States is not just limited to official contacts or economic and trade ties, but also includes cultural and educational exchanges. Furthermore, the president stated, when he first went overseas to school, his plans were the same as those of 19th-century scholar Yung Wing (容閎), the first Chinese to study in the US: to eventually return home and use the knowledge gained overseas to promote the betterment of the nation. And, the president said, he has indeed used what he learned at New York University and Harvard University, pointing to how the government handled a fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan, as well as the shooting incident in which a Taiwanese fisherman was shot and killed by persons on board a Philippine coast guard vessel when the two vessels were in overlapping economic zones.
Explaining his feelings upon touring the Ground Zero, President Ma recalled that when he worked at No. 40 Wall Street in a legal firm from March to September 1992, each day he took the subway from Queens to the World Trade Center station and walked from there to the office. His route took him through the World Trade Center, so he was devastated to watch on television on September 11, 2001 as hijacked aircraft flew into the two towers, causing the two imposing structures to collapse. It was heartbreaking to behold, he said.
The president stated that the 16 employees of Taipei Bank working in the World Trade Center at that time reacted rapidly, going down to the first floor of one of the towers and then fleeing the scene. However, many firemen and policemen who entered the building to help others unfortunately lost their lives. President Ma said he touched a plaque at the memorial that features the names of all those who died that day, and added that it was extremely sad.
As for his trip to the CCBA-NY, the president stressed that the organization has been in existence for 130 years and is an important group for overseas compatriots. He had visited the association in 2006 in his capacity as Taipei City mayor, but this trip marks his first visit as president. In addition, he stated, this marked the first time that a standing ROC president had ever visited the association. President Ma noted that he presented a plaque to the association to recognize the work and funds contributed by members of the association to assist the ROC. He also expressed hope that overseas compatriots can sense the concern of the ROC for the interests of overseas compatriots.
Lastly, the president mentioned that on the evening of August 12, American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt stated at a banquet that while he has received many visitors from Taiwan, none has had such a strong emotional connection to New York as the president. President Ma said that the interaction between his delegation and the American side during the transit stop in New York highlighted the common interests between Taiwan and the United States, as well as the core values that the two countries share and the close ties between the two in the areas of education and culture.