President Ma Ying-jeou, at 7:50 a.m. on August 15 Paraguay time (7:50 p.m. on August 15 Taipei time), was accompanied by members of his delegation, including National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), and ROC Ambassador to Paraguay Liu Der-li (劉德立), to the square outside the Lopez Presidential Palace near the Paraguay River to attend the inauguration ceremonies of Paraguayan President-elect Horacio Manuel Cartes and Vice President-elect Juan Afara.
The ceremonies, which formally commenced at 8:30 a.m., were presided over by Paraguayan Senate President Julio C. Velazquez. After the national anthem of Paraguay was played and Senate President Velazquez announced the commencement of the ceremonies, Vice President-elect Afara and President-elect Cartes respectively were sworn into office. President Cartes then accepted the presidential baton from Senate President Velazquez and delivered an inaugural address which was warmly received by the audience. Among the heads of state and other leaders in attendance were Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, and Crown Prince of Spain Felipe de Borbon.
After the ceremonies, President Ma along with the other heads of state attending the event, the crown prince, vice presidents, and special guests left the viewing stand and entered the Lopez Presidential Palace, where they received keys to the city of Asuncion from Asuncion Mayor Arnaldo Samaniego Gonzalez. They then proceeded to the Cathedral of Asuncion for a Catholic mass.
Upon the completion of the prayer ceremony at the cathedral, President Ma then went to Independence Hall at the Lopez Presidential Palace to extend his congratulations to President Cartes, following which he attended a state banquet at the residence of President Cartes. During the banquet, President Ma interacted with the other heads of state and leaders attending the event, forging friendships with his counterparts. After the conclusion of the inaugural banquet, President Ma and his delegation at 4:00 p.m. local time headed to the airport to board their chartered plane that would take them on their next stop on Project Congratulations and Friendship – St. Lucia. This marked the end to the president's trip to Paraguay.