President Ma Ying-jeou returned to Taiwan on the evening of July 18, and delivered remarks at the airport to explain the achievements of his trip codenamed the Forever Rising Project.
The president commented that he undertook this eight-day/seven-night trip at the behest of the heads of state of the ROC's important diplomatic allies in Latin America—the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Haiti. He said that the trip took him to five cities in four countries, marking his 11th overseas trip since taking office in 2008, and that although time was scarce, much was accomplished.
President Ma remarked that the ROC and the Dominican Republic maintain close cooperation. The two countries cooperated in building the Center for Comprehensive Care for the Disabled (Centro de Atencion Integral para la Discapacidad, CAID), and in the future another four CAIDs will be completed. This will enable the Dominican Republic to become the leader in Central America in caring for children with special needs, he said. Meanwhile, the Taiwan Agricultural Technical Mission has long been stationed in the Dominican Republic to assist in improving and cultivating rice varieties suitable for that nation. Under this program, the Dominican Republic became self-sufficient in rice production starting in 2003, and even began rice exports in 2005. President Ma also mentioned that he was invited to deliver an address before a joint meeting of the National Congress, during which he briefed them about the ROC's cross-strait, foreign, economic, and trade policies. This enabled the members of Congress and individuals from various sectors to better understand the ROC's current status.
As for his experience in Haiti, the president noted that Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake five years ago and to date has yet to recover fully from the disaster. During this visit, he and Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly participated in a ceremony marking the inauguration of the Supreme Court Building that was built with ROC assistance. President Ma said that the ROC will continue to uphold the strong friendship between the two countries and lend further assistance to Haiti in its reconstruction work.
The president commented that during his visit to Nicaragua he met with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Saavedra for nearly two hours, during which his counterpart thanked the ROC for transferring the funding slated for the construction of a gymnasium to help people impacted by severe floods. As the Nicaraguan government had requested that the ROC government assist in training irrigation and agricultural technicians and planning the construction of a new port on the Atlantic coast, the president noted that he asked them to provide the relevant information through the ROC embassy there so that the proposal can be evaluated in Taiwan, following which a decision will be made.
President Ma also made transit stops in Boston, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California on the outbound and inbound legs of the journey, respectively. He mentioned that two congressmen went to Boston to welcome him on his arrival and that this reception for an ROC head of state in transiting in the United States was unprecedented. The president commented that he received enthusiastic welcomes from overseas compatriots in both places, and during his stopovers in the United States a total of 13 US congressmen participated in seminars or banquets that he attended. He also spoke with 13 other congressmen over the phone during which they exchanged opinions, and the president pointed out that he had contact with more members of Congress on this trip than he ever had before.
President Ma then noted that while attending a banquet with overseas compatriots in Los Angeles, he mentioned the series of commemorative activities the ROC will hold this year to mark the 70th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan. He also stressed that commemorating the war "is not to sing the praises of victory, but to condemn aggression and promote peace." The president said that the stopovers in the United States had been quite fruitful due to interaction with representatives from the American political and academic communities, as well as overseas compatriots.
Several hours earlier, on the flight back to Taiwan, the president explained the results of this trip over the aircraft's public address system. He thanked all the members of the delegation, the press corps traveling with him, and the crew members from China Airlines, for their efforts. He also commented that five experts from the Johns Hopkins Burn Center joined him on the flight back to Taiwan, and that after arrival they will assist in providing medical care to the burn victims from the Formosa Fun Coast water park powder explosion in northern Taiwan. After boarding the plane in Los Angeles, the president made a point to personally greet the medical team and wish them success in their work in Taiwan. President Ma expressed hope that with help from many sectors of society, the accident victims will recover as quickly as possible.
Among those at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to welcome President Ma on his arrival back in Taiwan were Secretary-General to the President Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chao Ke-ta (趙克達), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀), Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Jong-Chin Shen (沈榮津), Deputy Minister of Overseas Community Affairs Council Shih-Chang Hsin (信世昌), and Republic of Nauru Ambassador to the ROC Ludwig Dowong Keke, who is also the head of the foreign diplomatic corps stationed in the ROC.