At 6:00 p.m. on July 2 local time (8:00 a.m. July 3 Taipei time), President Ma Ying-jeou arrived at the Hilton Princess San Salvador Hotel to take part in a dinner banquet with members of his delegation, overseas compatriots, and their families.
In remarks, the president noted that it had been five years since his last visit to El Salvador, and that he was deeply touched that the support and welcome of overseas compatriots for the ROC was every bit as enthusiastic as it had been last time.
President Ma stated that overseas compatriots in El Salvador have distinguished themselves in their various professions and have made outstanding contributions to economic growth in El Salvador.
Commenting on Taiwan's economic development, the president explained that the economy has seen considerable changes since the beginning of this year, and that the government will work to transform Taiwan's industrial structure from an efficiency-driven economic model to an innovation-driven one. Externally, Taiwan will act as quickly as possible to sign economic and trade agreements with its major trading partners. For instance, he remarked, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will help to develop a fairer environment for Taiwan's external trade.
With respect to cross-strait relations, President Ma stated, he has actively promoted the development of cross-strait peace since taking office. To date, many substantive achievements have been seen between the two sides, he said, pointing to the number of mainland China students now in Taiwan at over 25,000, compared to just some 800 six years ago.
The president also mentioned that the improvement of cross-strait relations has enhanced the ROC's international relationships. For instance, he said, the number of jurisdictions that provide ROC nationals with visa-free or landing visa courtesies has risen from 54 six years ago to 140 today, which highlights the fact that "when a country is respected, its people enjoy dignity."
Lastly, the president emphasized that while the ROC is a peace-loving nation, the government absolutely will not tolerate other countries infringing on its sovereignty or harming the interests of its people. If such a situation arises, the government will not back down, he stated. As long as "it doesn't achieve its objective, it will absolutely not end its efforts to seek justice," he said.