President Tsai and Honduran Vice President Olga Alvarado hold bilateral talks
President Tsai Ing-wen and Honduran Vice President Olga Alvarado held bilateral talks on the afternoon of August 15 in Paraguay (early morning of August 16 Taipei time).
National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) later released details of President Tsai's itinerary in Paraguay after the inauguration of President Mario Abdo Benítez. Deputy Secretary-General Tsai also stated that after the inauguration, President Tsai attended a prayer ceremony at Asunción Cathedral, and then attended a luncheon hosted by President Abdo for the heads of the congratulatory delegations. During the luncheon, President Tsai exchanged views with the other delegation leaders, comprising heads of state, parliamentary speakers, and first ladies, about their respective countries in a relaxed and joyful atmosphere.
After the luncheon, President Tsai and Vice President Alvarado, who represented Honduras at the inauguration ceremony of President Abdo, held bilateral talks in the afternoon. During the talks, they discussed Taiwan-Honduran future cooperation, which will mainly focus on agriculture—one of Taiwan's major strengths. President Tsai also stated that once a national-level agricultural company is established, Taiwan will actively promote the agricultural cooperation plan with Honduras.
Deputy Secretary-General Tsai highlighted the part of the plan for developing Honduras's avocado industry. Taiwan will assist Honduras in cultivating healthy avocado seedlings and in creating a comprehensive network through a contract farming arrangements that cover the production, marketing, and procurement of avocados. The resulting high-quality avocados will be marketed mainly in Honduras and neighboring countries. In the long run, hopefully Taiwan can become a major marketing center of Honduran avocados in Asia.
In addition, Deputy Secretary-General Tsai also highlighted the part of the plan about coffee. Taiwan last year purchased coffee from small farms in Honduras. President Tsai mentioned that the Taiwan Sugar Corporation is helping Honduran small coffee farms establish their brand image. Taiwan will continue to purchase Honduran coffee in the future, thereby letting Taiwanese consumers enjoy more fine coffee from Honduran small farms.
Deputy Secretary-General Tsai also said that Vice President Alvarado noted that President Tsai is a model for all female leaders and that she is happy to learn from President Tsai, especially as Latin America has few female leaders. At the end of the talks, President Tsai expressed her best wishes for the continued success of the Honduran economy, and the further deepening of Taiwan-Honduras relations in the years to come.