President Ma Ying-jeou met with Solomon Islands Deputy Prime Minister Fred Fono and Mrs. Fono on the morning of November 4 at the Presidential Office. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a cordial welcome to the couple on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that the ROC and the Solomon Islands maintain a close alliance. He noted that when he briefly left public service 12 years ago, he made a trip to the Solomon Islands as a scholar of international law. The president said he had the good fortune of meeting Deputy Prime Minister Fono on that trip, adding that the warmth and hospitality of the people of the Solomon Islands made a deep impression on him.
The president said that the ROC originally had planned to hold the Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, in October. However, given the severity of the flooding and landslides in southern Taiwan in August, the government has been devoting its full attention to rescue and reconstruction work. As a result, he said he was unable to make the trip as scheduled. President Ma said, however, that he still hopes to have the opportunity to visit the Solomon Islands in the future.
President Ma said that not long ago a group of university students from Taiwan went to the Solomon Islands for two weeks to interact with the people there. He said the students got a good sense of the warmth and sincerity of the people of the Solomon Islands and the trip was an unforgettable experience for them. In early August when Taiwan suffered damage associated with the heavy rains from Typhoon Morakot, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua held a dinner to help raise funds for the relief effort. President Ma noted that Deputy Prime Minister Fono and other high-ranking government officials generously donated funds to the effort and even participated in a boat rowing activity to raise funds for relief work. This demonstrates the close friendship between the people of the two nations, the president said.
The president said that the Solomon Islands not only is concerned about the wellbeing of Taiwan, but also speaks on behalf of the ROC in the international community. At the general debate of the 64th Session at the United Nations (UN), the Solomon Islands spoke in support of the ROC's return to the UN. President Ma said that Taiwan participated in the World Health Assembly in May of this year and received the full support of the Solomon Islands. The president expressed his deepest gratitude for the many years of unwavering support by the Solomon Islands for the ROC. He also said he hopes that the Solomon Islands will continue to support Taiwan in its efforts to take part in activities of UN-affiliated organizations.
President Ma pointed out that former Vice President Annette Lu, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng, and the group of Taiwan university students have all received warm receptions when visiting the Solomon Islands. He added that 12 years ago when he visited the nation, he was particularly interested in seeing the relics of war from World War II, when the Solomon Islands was a key battleground in the Pacific. The president said he is delighted by the important role that the Central Hospital, built via a cooperation project between the two nations, has played in providing healthcare to the nation's people. He also pointed out that the white rice cultivated with assistance from the ROC's agricultural mission stationed in the Solomon Islands is generally regarded to be every bit as good as imported white rice. This shows the important role that the ROC plays in infrastructure development in the Solomon Islands, he said. President Ma expressed his desire that cooperation projects between the two countries in the future will become even more systematic and transparent. He said the ROC is ready to provide even more assistance to help in the development of the Solomon Islands and the wellbeing of its people.
Deputy Prime Minister Fono, on behalf of the government and people of his nation, expressed his deepest sympathies to Taiwan for the disaster it suffered in early August. He said that the Solomon Islands cherishes the stable alliance it has enjoyed with the ROC for over two decades. He said he hopes the two nations will continue to enhance interaction and expand bilateral trade and economic ties based on the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law. Deputy Prime Minister Fono pledged that his nation will continue to support Taiwan in participating in the international community and will strengthen bilateral cooperation projects. He also expressed his hopes that President Ma will be able to visit the Solomon Islands in the not too distant future to preside over the Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit.