President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 19 with Cardinal Chibly Langlois from Haiti. In addition to extending a cordial welcome to Cardinal Langlois, the president also said that the ROC hopes to work in concert with the government and Catholic Church in Haiti to promote the wellbeing of people in both countries.
In remarks, the president stated that Cardinal Langlois was chosen in February last year by Pope Francis for elevation to the College of Cardinals, becoming the first cardinal from Haiti in that nation's 210-year history. As the head of Haiti's bishops, he actively worked to arbitrate between Haiti's ruling and opposition parties, thereby promoting political and social harmony. Cardinal Langlois is thus much admired, both at home and in the international community, the president said.
The president commented that Cardinal Langlois is visiting the ROC to attend celebrations associated with the 90th anniversary of the founding of Fu Jen Catholic University. Cardinal Langlois will receive an honorary PhD from the university, and witness the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the university and University of Notre Dame in Haiti (Universite Notre Dame d'Haiti, UNDH). The president expressed his deepest gratitude to Cardinal Langlois for his contributions in promoting bilateral religious and academic cooperation and interaction.
The president pointed out that the ROC and the Vatican have had diplomatic ties for 73 years and that the formal relationship between the ROC and Haiti is approaching 60 years, highlighting the friendly, long-term nature of these bilateral relations. During an address to the United Nations General Assembly last year Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly also spoke on behalf of the ROC, and Haiti's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Pierre-Duly Brutus, who visited the ROC in March this year, wrote a letter to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in support of observer status for the ROC at meetings of convention signatories. The government and people of the ROC will always remember these gestures, President Ma said.
In March 2013 the president was invited to attend the inauguration of Pope Francis, and in August of that year he led a delegation to Haiti, making him the first ROC president to visit the Caribbean nation in the history of bilateral diplomatic relations. The delegation received an enthusiastic welcome from the government and people of Haiti, and he and President Martelly immediately forged a bond that underscores the strong friendship between the two countries.
President Ma explained to Cardinal Langlois that the Catholic Church has for many years founded schools, hospitals, and many social welfare organizations in Taiwan, assisting the ROC government in caring for the underprivileged and becoming an important link in Taiwan's social welfare system.
The president also discussed the assistance from various sectors of society here in the reconstruction of Haiti following the devastating earthquake there in January 2010. Within 12 hours after the disaster struck, the ROC dispatched a disaster rescue and relief team to Haiti. That team worked with their counterparts from other nations in rescuing seven survivors from the rubble. Two weeks after the earthquake, President Ma visited Honduras to attend the inauguration of President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, and after leaving Honduras headed to the Dominican Republic where 10 tons of relief aid from the ROC was offloaded and then transported overland to Haiti. This, President Ma said, demonstrates the ROC government's care and concern for the people of Haiti.
Commenting on bilateral cooperation, the president noted that over the past five years the ROC government has carried out a variety of projects in Haiti to promote the social welfare and livelihood of the Haitian people. These projects include the donation of medical devices, ambulances and hospital beds, and the construction of community clinics, elementary schools, and community housing. The ROC has also provided assistance in the repair of roadways and the Supreme Court Building, while also cooperating with the Catholic Church in Haiti to repair a hospital administration building, hoping to restore damaged buildings to their original state.
As for agricultural cooperation, the president stated that the Rice Development Project, on-going for the past five years, was expanded in 2013 to include the corn and black bean industries. At the same time, the ROC has for the past four years engaged in an education cooperation program with the UNDH's Faculty of Agriculture, and last year the two countries signed the Rice Seed Production Capacity Enhancement Project. The project aims to boost the supply rate of high-quality rice seed to 45% of demand from the current 14%, with the goal of producing 2,000 tons of certified seed per year. This is expected to benefit over 50,000 farming households annually, and generate economic benefits worth US$8.17 million. Meanwhile, the Les Cayes Cereal Crops Development Project will assist in the production and supply of cereal crops. All of these cooperation projects have been a success, and well-received by the Haitian government and people, the president said.
The president emphasized that in the future, the ROC will continue to serve as a peacemaker and provider of humanitarian aid in the international community. He hopes that the ROC and the Catholic Church of Haiti will work closely together in humanitarian and charitable affairs in the pursuit of the greatest wellbeing for the public of both nations.