President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of April 28 with a delegation led by Dominican Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Andres Navarro Garcia and Mrs. Navarro. In addition to welcoming the delegation to Taiwan, the president also expressed hope for continued strengthening of the alliance between the two countries.
In remarks, the president stated that he visited the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo when he was mayor of Taipei City as part of municipal exchange programs. After becoming president in 2008, his first visit overseas was in response to an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremonies for the Dominican Republic's former president Leonel Fernandez. In addition, after a major earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, he again visited the Dominican Republic, primarily to discuss the post-disaster reconstruction of Haiti with former president Fernandez and former Haitian prime minister Jean-Max Bellerive. President Ma then mentioned that his wife, First Lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青), also traveled to Haiti on a humanitarian mission in her role as World Vision Taiwan's Love Ambassador and honorary president of the Red Cross Society of the ROC (Taiwan), and then made a point to visit the Dominican Republic. These examples of frequent interaction indicate the importance that both countries place on the bilateral alliance, he said.
The president stated that Foreign Minister Navarro is a professional architect, specializing in municipal planning. He previously served in key positions in the Santo Domingo municipal government and the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Public Works and Communications. He was appointed in September 2014 by President Danilo Medina as foreign affairs minister, and since taking office has strived to promote diplomatic reform. His efforts, President Ma said, have been recognized by President Medina and individuals in both ruling and opposition parties. Foreign Minister Navarro last visited Taiwan together with Santo Domingo Mayor Roberto Salcedo to attend the 21st Summer Deaflympics hosted by Taipei in 2009. This visit is his first to the ROC in his capacity as foreign affairs minister, and the president is delighted to have the opportunity to meet with him again.
The president commented that after taking office, Foreign Minister Navarro convened the 2015 Dominican Diplomacy Forum this past January to formulate new policies for his nation's diplomatic agenda. This also exhibited his commitment and ambition to reform. The president added that Foreign Minister Navarro, in the process of dealing with the issue of illegal immigration involving the Dominican Republic and Haiti, has considered both national sovereignty and humanitarian compassion, and has also sought to secure support from the international community for his policies.
The president said that the Dominican Republic and the ROC have had diplomatic relations for over 70 years. Besides sharing the universal values of freedom and democracy, the two nations jointly promote a wide variety of cooperation projects. Since taking office in August 2012, President Medina has initiated reform and promoted development. For instance, he has promoted literacy and the establishment of a 911 emergency system. In addition, President Medina each Sunday visits the countryside to listen to the needs of the public in the extremely popular "Surprise Visit" (Visita Sorpresa) initiative, he said.
President Ma remarked that the Dominican Republic features political stability and an ample labor pool. It has signed free trade agreements with the United States, the European Union, Central American nations, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), helping it to attract large amounts of international investment. Presently, 74 Taiwanese companies have investments there, including major shoe manufacturers Hong Fu Group and General Footwear Industrial Co., both of which set up factories there last year. These investments are poised to generate tens of thousands of jobs and constitute another success in bilateral cooperation and interaction, the president said.
The president mentioned that cooperation between the ROC and the Dominican Republic in recent years includes the joint establishment of a vocational training center and a practice workshop, which were completed and opened in 2013, and at the beginning of this year, respectively. The two countries also promote cooperative projects in emergency and security affairs, medical treatment for children with special needs, and agricultural technology, he said.
The president then addressed the ROC's external trade and economic policies, commenting that the ROC has signed economic cooperation agreements with its major trading partners in an effort to boost competitiveness. These include the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed by Taiwan and mainland China in 2010, the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement in 2011, and the ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand and the ASTEP economic partnership agreement with Singapore in 2013. In addition, the ROC and the United States have resumed negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA); the ROC is also actively seeking to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This shows the ROC's determination to embrace trade liberalization, and the president expressed hope that the ROC and the Dominican Republic in the future can further explore topics related to economic and trade liberalization.
The president then expressed his gratitude to the Dominican Republic and other allies for speaking on behalf of the ROC in international venues many times, and said this is something the government and people of the ROC will always remember. Lastly, he hopes that the visitors will enjoy the food and scenery of Taiwan and will experience the kindness and enthusiasm of its people, with this trip enhancing mutual understanding and bilateral relationship.
The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Dominican Republic Ambassador to the ROC Rafaela Alburquerque de Gonzalez to meet with President Ma.