After completing his trip to Paraguay in South America and four other allies of the ROC in the Caribbean, President Ma Ying-jeou and his delegation arrived at Los Angeles International Airport at 8:30 p.m. on August 19 Los Angeles time (11:30 a.m. on August 20 Taipei time).
After his plane came to a halt, ROC Representative to the US Pu-tsung King (金溥聰) and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt boarded the president's aircraft to welcome and escort him off the plane. President Ma's motorcade then proceeded to a banquet with representatives from the overseas compatriot community.
In remarks, the president noted that Tropical Storm Trami was bearing down on Taiwan, and his journey was nearing an end, so he decided to return to Taiwan earlier than scheduled. The latest weather forecasts indicated that the storm was moving towards Taiwan more slowly than originally anticipated, so the eye of the storm would have yet to make landfall in Taiwan when he and his delegation returned to Taiwan, but when Taiwan encounters a natural disaster, he must be in the same place as the ROC public. He said that this is not only an issue of attitude, but also of empathy for what others are having to go through.
President Ma pointed out that this marks the fourth time he has transited through Los Angeles in the five years since he took office in 2008. He extended his best regards to many old friends in the crowd who he had not seen for a while, and explained the results of his trip. For instance, he said, Paraguayan President Horacio Manuel Cartes made a point during his inaugural address of introducing him as the president of the Republic of China, at which point members of the audience immediately broke into applause and warmly welcomed him. This showed that Paraguay clearly recognizes the strong relationship it maintains with the ROC.
President Ma stated that he got a strong sense on this trip that the ROC's diplomatic policies are quite different from those of the past. He pointed out that AIT Chairman Burghardt characterized the ROC's current diplomatic status by saying that the "sun has come out." First, the president stated, the ROC has adopted "above-board diplomacy," which means that foreign aid is provided in line with the principle of "seeking proper goals, acting lawfully, and exercising effective administration." In addition, he commented, the improvement in relations between Taiwan and mainland China has created further space for the ROC to pursue relationships in the international community. For instance, he said, Taiwan and Japan have signed the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, and the ROC has also further solidified its alliances with its diplomatic partners. Furthermore, the president noted, cooperation between Taiwan and the United States in national defense, security, and economic relations is extremely close, and the bilateral relationship is now closer than when formal diplomatic ties were severed in 1979. President Ma also mentioned that Taiwan and the United States have resumed talks under the framework of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. Former Vice President Vincent C. Siew (蕭萬長) also intends in the second half of this year to lead a delegation of entrepreneurs from Taiwan to the United States to seek out business opportunities and avenues for cooperation, he said.
President Ma stressed that throughout the history of the ROC, never has there been a time like today, when it maintains such friendly relations with the United States, Japan, and mainland China. The ROC, he said, has replaced conflict, collision, and confrontation with harmony and cooperation. This has enabled the ROC's relationships in the international community to move from a vicious cycle to a virtuous cycle, he stated, and enables Taiwan to pursue prosperity in a more peaceful environment. President Ma expressed hope that he can help Taiwan find a path forward, further indicating that this is his responsibility as president.
The president explained that while Taiwan is still very competitive, it must actively work to strengthen its industrial structure and pursue innovation. It is with this in mind that the Executive Yuan is promoting its Economic Power-Up Plan, which is already producing substantive results, he said. Since last November, 58 Taiwan-invested companies overseas have already decided to come back to invest more than NT$200 billion in Taiwan, he stated. This has created 28,000 job opportunities and reduced Taiwan's unemployment rate.
President Ma also mentioned that on this trip he specially asked about electricity rates everywhere he traveled. He noted that the prices of one kilowatt-hour of electricity in Los Angeles, New York, and Paraguay ranges between NT$3 and NT$5. Meanwhile, in St. Lucia, St Christopher and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the price per kilowatt-hour stood at over NT$9. In Taiwan, by contrast, the price per kilowatt-hour of electricity stands at NT$2.7. The president pointed out that the main reason for this difference is the subsidies that the government provides.
Lastly, President Ma emphasized that while Taiwan may not have the strongest economy in the world, the government is nevertheless making every effort to care for the wellbeing of the public so that the underprivileged and the infirm can receive the best care in the history of the nation. He expressed hope that the ROC will continue to play the role of peacemaker and provider of humanitarian aid so the world will see the light and warmth of Taiwan, and the ROC will command respect and be inspiration to others.
After his short transit stop, President Ma and his delegation returned to Los Angeles International Airport, where they boarded their chartered aircraft that took off at 2:30 a.m. on August 20 local time (5:30 p.m. on August 20 Taipei time).
Among those attending the banquet with overseas compatriots were AIT Chairman Burghardt, National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), Minister of Health and Welfare Wen-Ta Chiu (邱文達), ROC Representative to the US Pu-tsung King, ROC Legislators Lai Shyh-Bao (賴士葆), Liao Cheng-Ching (廖正井), Ma Wen-Chun (馬文君), Chen Shu-Huey (陳淑慧), and Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Los Angeles Chairman Gary Ma (馬國威)