President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of July 29 with Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe Minister for Foreign Affairs Manuel Salvador dos Ramos and Mrs. Ramos. In addition to extending a cordial welcome to the visitors, the president also expressed hope that bilateral cooperation will continue to develop in a wide variety of areas.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Foreign Minister Ramos worked as a journalist and was involved in diplomatic work for many years, having previously served in the programming division of Radio Nacional de Sao Tome e Principe and as a political and foreign affairs advisor to his nation's president. He has also served as his nation's ambassador to Angola and Gabon, secretary-general in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and twice as minister for foreign affairs. He thus has considerable practical experience in the political arena and is highly influential in his nation's political circles, with the president lauding Foreign Minister Ramos as an outstanding politician and diplomat.
President Ma remarked that this is Foreign Minister Ramos' third visit to the ROC, so he is no stranger to Taiwan. The president expressed hope that all of the visitors in the delegation, regardless of whether they have previously visited Taiwan, will take this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the ROC's latest public works and other developments.
President Ma commented that the ROC and Sao Tome and Principe (STP) established diplomatic relations 18 years ago and that bilateral relations are stable and friendly. The president made a point to express his gratitude to STP for speaking up on behalf of the ROC in international organizations and activities including the World Health Assembly and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
President Ma stated that bilateral cooperation projects are progressing smoothly, with a malaria prevention project having won recognition from many sectors. Thanks to the efforts of ROC malaria expert Dr. Jih-Ching Lien (連日清), the incidence of malaria in that nation dropped from 47% in 2003 to 3.7% in 2010, and further to 1% in 2014. The STP public deeply admires the work carried out by Dr. Lien, the president said.
Commenting on public works projects, President Ma mentioned that last year he visited the Santo Amaro thermal power station, which was built with the ROC's assistance. The ROC is currently responsible for running and maintaining the facility, as well as helping to train the station's maintenance managers. But the president is confident that in the not-too-distant future, STP will be able to take over operation of the plant. Meanwhile, the ROC's Institute for Information Industry is also assisting STP in developing information and communications infrastructure, with bilateral cooperation resulting in the establishment of an e-government system (G-Net) and digital learning centers, he said.
The president then mentioned the increasingly close interaction between youth from the two countries. A delegation of college and university students from the ROC will visit STP in September under the Youth Ambassadors Exchange Program promoted by the ROC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over 50 students from STP are also currently studying in Taiwan. National Assembly President Jose da Graca Diogo, who visited Taiwan last month, has a son who graduated from Tamkang University this year, and the daughter of former STP Ambassador to the ROC Jorge Amado graduated from I-Shou University, he said.
President Ma stated that he led an ROC delegation to STP early last year, and received a warm welcome from the public that made a deep impression on him. During that visit he toured the second state-run high school and oversaw the ROC's donation of 30 soccer balls to the school. That gave the president a chance to kick the ball around with the students and take a few shots on goal, creating a warm and pleasant atmosphere. The president also hopes that the two countries will continue to strengthen their friendship and deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas.