On July 3 (Thursday) local time, President Ma Ying-jeou spent a second day in El Salvador as part of his two-nation trip to Central America.
In the morning, President Ma was accompanied by ROC Ambassador to El Salvador Lee Sing-ying (李新穎) to visit the ROC embassy.
After leaving the embassy, the president visited the headquarters of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Upon his arrival, El Salvador Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugo Roger Martinez Bonilla and SICA's new Secretary General Victoria Marina de Aviles personally welcomed President Ma in the lobby and then escorted him on a tour through the facility.
After listening to a briefing by Secretary General Aviles on SICA's work, the president remarked that SICA's eight member nations play an important role in Central America and the ROC has been fortunate to serve as a non-regional observer at the organization for some time now. President Ma said he was pleased that the organization has achieved successful integration, as the region is home to more of the ROC's diplomatic partners than anywhere else in the world.
The president explained that the ROC since 1960 has provided nations in need with assistance. He said he believes that the ROC, which has the ability to provide such aid, is duty-bound to help other countries around the world in need. In addition, the president noted, since taking office in 2008 he has stressed that all of the ROC's assistance projects should be carried out in line with the principle of "seeking proper goals, acting lawfully, and exercising effective administration."
Lastly, President Ma stated that this trip marks the fifth time he has visited Central America and these visits have provided him with meaningful inspiration and new ways of looking at things. He expressed hope that upon his return to Taiwan he can use what he has seen and learned to promote regional cooperation. He pointed out that Secretary General Aviles would celebrate her birthday two days later, and therefore wished her happy birthday in Spanish before expressing his desire for continued cooperation between the ROC and SICA.
Upon completion of the tour, the president and his delegation made their way to El Salvador International Airport. Their chartered aircraft departed at 11:00 a.m. local time (1:00 a.m. July 4 Taipei time), thus concluding their visit to El Salvador.