Alfredo Martiz Fuentes, the new ambassador to the ROC from the Republic of Panama, visited the Presidential Office Building on the morning of November 21 at 10:00 to present his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou. The president welcomed Ambassador Martiz to the ROC to take up his position, and called for continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation to further solidify the alliance.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Ambassador Martiz has earned the trust of Panama President Juan Carlos Varela and Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado. Ambassador Martiz, President Ma said, previously served as ambassador to Japan and during his tenure there visited Taiwan twice, so he is not a stranger to Taiwan, and the president said he is confident that Ambassador Martiz will quickly settle in here and do an outstanding job.
President Ma stated that in July of this year he led a delegation from the ROC to attend the inauguration of Panama's President Varela, and that was his fourth trip to Panama. President Ma said that the economic prosperity, rapid development, and warm people of Panama left a deep impression on him. The president furthermore commented that Panama's First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela visited Taiwan in October this year, leading a delegation on behalf of President Varela to attend the ROC's Double Tenth National Day celebrations. President Ma also expressed gratitude in this regard.
Commenting on Panama's infrastructure, the president noted that the nation is currently carrying out the Third Set of Locks Project to expand the Panama Canal. The project, which is scheduled for completion in early 2016, will increase the capacity of the Panama Canal and solidify Panama's position as the center of maritime navigation in Central America. In addition, Panama is making a strong push to develop its air cargo operations, which is helping Panama City to gradually become a center for air cargo in Central America. Both of these developments are boosting Panama's economic growth, commented President Ma.
Regarding economic and trade ties between the ROC and Panama, the president said that bilateral trade has grown rapidly since the Free Trade Agreement Between the Republic of China and the Republic of Panama took effect in 2004. Last year it reached US$219 million, with Panama's exports to the ROC up 532% since 2003, he noted. As for cooperation between the governments of the two nations, from 2009 to 2014 bilateral cooperation projects covered the areas of education, public health, public safety, and aviation safety, he remarked. President Ma stated that the two sides are planning for bilateral cooperation projects that will run from 2014 to 2019. He said that the projects will be carried out on the existing foundation and will be held in accordance with the three principles of "seeking proper goals, acting lawfully, and exercising effective administration," which will help to further deepen and expand cooperative relations between the two countries.
President Ma also mentioned that President Varela plans to construct more rapid transit systems in his nation. President Ma said that the Taipei Metro system has been named one of the world's top three mass rapid transit systems in terms of reliability. He added that if there is an opportunity, the ROC would be willing to share with Panama the operational and management experiences of the Taipei Metro system.