Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Tsai Ing-wen met on the morning of July 12 with a delegation led by Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) President Tony Raful Tejada. She thanked the PARLACEN for supporting Taiwan's international participation, expressed hope that the two sides will support each other in international venues, and called for more exchanges with Central American nations on a wide range of issues.

In remarks, President Tsai first welcomed the delegation on behalf of Taiwan's government and people. Noting that President Raful visited Taiwan seven years ago, she expressed confidence that he would have different experiences and takeaways this time around.

President Tsai stated that, as evidenced by the ambassadors from four of our allies on hand at the meeting, Taiwan has close ties with the nations of Central America. She also recalled meeting with a PARLACEN delegation after being in office for less than a half year. At that time, she was hoping to strengthen business ties with Central America, make Taiwan a springboard for Central American exports to Asian markets, and help Taiwanese firms identify and develop business opportunities in Central America.

President Tsai further explained that, in order to achieve these goals, over the past two years she has led business leaders on visits to diplomatic allies in Central America, and dispatched investment missions to identify potential business opportunities there. In addition to enhancing economic and trade relations, Taiwan's government has also launched cooperation projects tailor-made to meet the needs of Central American allies in fields like rural development, agriculture, medicine, health, and women's rights.

President Tsai stated that this visit by President Raful and his delegation will certainly further enhance relations between Taiwan and Central America. Since taking the reins at the PARLACEN, President Raful has used parliamentary democracy to work for the well-being of people in the region. In addition to his focus on Central American integration and development, she said, President Raful has also been concerned about global issues like environmental protection, climate change, immigration, and food security.

President Tsai emphasized that Taiwan has excellent technologies and talent, as well as extensive experience with innovation and development. So Taiwan is quite willing to engage in more exchanges with Central American nations on various issues and work together for Central American integration.

And finally, President Tsai said that the PARLACEN has always been a firm supporter of Taiwan's international participation, so she took the opportunity to extend her sincere gratitude to President Raful and the PARLACEN. We also hope, she said, that the PARLACEN will continue to support Taiwan, both sides will continue to provide mutual support in the international arena, and the future will see further exchanges.