President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of October 2 with the Republic of El Salvador's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugo Martinez. Apart from welcoming Foreign Minister Martinez to Taiwan, the president also called for a continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation.
In remarks, President Ma noted that Foreign Minister Martinez made his first visit to the ROC on January 13, 2010, and was the first cabinet member from that nation to visit Taiwan during the tenure of former El Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes. President Ma noted that after current President Salvador Sanchez Ceren took office this year, Mr. Martinez continued to serve as foreign minister, which highlights the fact that both of El Salvador's most recent two heads of state have recognized the distinguished talents and abilities of Mr. Martinez.
President Ma also thanked Foreign Minister Martinez for personally attending his inauguration to a second term in office on May 20, 2012 and offering congratulations on behalf of his nation. The foreign minister also provided considerable assistance to a delegation led by President Ma that visited El Salvador in July of this year. The president said that the main purpose of this visit to Taiwan by Foreign Minister Martinez is to sign a letter of intent on bilateral cooperation with his ROC counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), for the period between 2014 and 2019. President Ma expressed hope that this will pave the way for even closer cooperation between the two countries in the areas of education, health care, tourism, and disaster preparedness.
The president mentioned that during his July visit to El Salvador, he and President Sanchez held meetings, during which he gained a better understanding of President Sanchez's important contributions toward ending the civil war in El Salvador and signing a peace agreement. At the same time, he pointed out, President Sanchez has strived to pursue social justice and narrow the wealth gap. The two leaders also exchanged opinions on the development of tourism and clean energy, he said. In the area of clean energy, quite a high percentage of the power supply in El Salvador is generated through hydropower. Hydropower, however, is impacted by weather conditions that can limit the amount of power generated, he remarked. The president expressed hope that El Salvador can develop clean energy sources, adding that solar equipment manufacturers from the ROC have already invested in El Salvador's energy sector and are producing photovoltaic equipment that will further assist El Salvador in the development of solar energy.
President Ma also mentioned that during his visit to El Salvador he was able to tour the Ciudad Mujer (Women's City) project promoted by former First Lady Vanda Pignato. He was also able to meet a boy named Melvin Antonio Perez and his family, to whom the president and his wife Chow Mei-ching (周美青) have been providing financial sponsorship for years. President Ma said, he learned then that benefactors from the ROC are sponsoring about 5,500 children in El Salvador, making Taiwan the third largest sponsor there, behind only the United States and Canada. On a per capita basis, however, the ROC would rank higher than the other two, which the president said makes him very proud. President Ma further remarked that the ROC would be pleased to provide assistance to the construction of the sixth Women's City Center planned by former First Lady Pignato to support social welfare in that nation and provide greater protection for the women of El Salvador.
The president also thanked El Salvador for frequently speaking on behalf of the ROC in international venues over the past six years, enabling Taiwan to again attend the World Health Assembly, meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and other conferences of United Nations specialized agencies after an absence of 40 years. He said he hopes that Foreign Minister Martinez will continue to provide the ROC with related support and assistance.
The president then discussed the relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He stated that since taking office he has actively sought to improve ties between Taiwan and mainland China and that over the past six years the two sides have signed 21 agreements. Over this period, cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, and tourism has increased considerably, he said, pointing to the signing four years ago of the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. Since then, he noted, Taiwan has signed investment and economic cooperation agreements with Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore, which shows that Taiwan can concurrently pursue cross-strait relations and relations with the international community. President Ma also pointed out that the ROC and El Salvador signed a free trade agreement in 2007 and since then the volume of exports from El Salvador to Taiwan has grown substantially. He expressed hope that this agreement will also add depth to cooperative economic and trade relations between ROC and other nations in Central America.
Lastly, President Ma mentioned that two weeks earlier the Millennium Challenge Corporation of the United States of America approved the Fomilenio II (Millennium Funds) compact, under which El Salvador will be provided US$277 million. The cooperative agreement was signed on September 30, and the president said he is confident that this will be conducive to El Salvador's economic development. He expressed his deepest congratulations on this issue, and also expressed hope that relations between the ROC and El Salvador will continue to move forward.