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On the afternoon of June 21, President Tsai Ing-wen met with the delegation of Honduran First Vice-President Ricardo Antonio Alvarez Arias. She expressed hope that steady cooperation between the Republic of China and Honduras would produce the greatest benefit under the Taiwan-Honduras Free Trade Agreement, thus creating a win-win situation for both countries in economics and trade via mutual assistance.
In her remarks, President Tsai noted that Honduras had been the first stop on her tour to Central America in January this year. It was raining as they landed in Honduras, and when Vice-President Alvarez Arias met them at the airport, he quoted the proverb that says "get rained on and you'll get rich" to wish an advancement of bilateral relations. The president stated that this delegation to Taiwan, led by Vice-President Alvarez Arias, is a further demonstration of friendly relations between the two countries.
President Tsai pointed out that Vice-President Alvarez Arias, who has assumed the serious responsibilities of seeking investment and promoting Honduran products abroad, is an ideal person to assist Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. She noted that Vice-President Alvarez Arias has made numerous trips to the US and European nations to develop trade relations, and that the visit by this delegation to Taiwan to seek investment and take part in the Taipei International Food Show shows the importance President Hernandez places on the Taiwan market.
President Tsai noted that Taiwan and Honduras have enjoyed friendly bilateral relations for 75 years, and that following her inauguration in May last year, she had already met with President Hernandez three times, during which they had concrete exchanges of views and reached common understanding regarding expanding bilateral trade and exchanges and cooperation on investment. She pointed out that this year the government and the private sector have already formed several trade missions and coffee-buying groups for trips to Honduras, and that our Council of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and Welfare are currently engaged in drafting procedures for shipping Honduran agricultural products such as beef and melons to Taiwan. She expressed hope that on this visit to Taiwan, Vice-President Alvarez Arias would be able to feel Taiwan's sincere effort to eliminate trade barriers, and that steady cooperation between the two countries would produce the greatest effectiveness under the Taiwan-Honduras Free Trade Agreement and create a win-win situation for both countries in economics and trade via mutual assistance.
The president also expressed heartfelt gratitude for the support Honduras has given to Taiwan's participation in specialized agencies of the United Nations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the World Health Assembly (WHA). She also expressed hope that in the future Honduras would continue to support Taiwan's participation in the international arena.
Lastly, President Tsai requested that Vice-President Alvarez Arias convey her greetings to President Hernandez, along with her hope that President Hernandez and members of the visiting delegation could return to Taiwan in the future to further enhance exchanges between Taiwan and Honduras.
