President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had a brief exchange with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday in an unofficial but symbolic meeting.
Introducing himself as “president of Taiwan,” Ma thanked Clinton for Washington’s support on cross-strait matters.
He told Clinton his administration would do everything it could to stabilize cross-strait relations, to which she replied that this was what the US hoped for, adding: “That’s good for everyone.”
The exchange took place at a state dinner hosted by former Salvadoran president Elias Antonio Saca on Sunday, the last day of his presidential term.
Ma and Clinton, who were seated at the same table, exchanged greetings after Clinton approached Ma and first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青).
Taiwan and the US suspended high-level contact after Washington switched allegiance to Beijing in 1979.
In 2003, then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) met then-US secretary of state Colin Powell during a visit to Panama to attend the country’s centenary celebrations.
In May 2006, Chen exchanged greetings with then-US first lady Laura Bush at an inauguration ceremony for Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in San Jose.
Ma led a 159-member delegation to Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes’ inauguration, which took place on Monday. Accompanying him were his wife, local government heads, college officials, student representatives and a performance group.
Ma made a stopover in Los Angeles on his way to El Salvador and will stop in Seattle on his way back. The delegation is scheduled to return to Taipei tomorrow.
At a gathering with Taiwanese reporters after the inauguration, Ma downplayed his encounter with Clinton.
“I am the president of the Republic of China,” he said. “I will respond if somebody calls me ‘president of Taiwan’ but I am not the president of the Republic of Taiwan.”
Ma said since the situation in the Taiwan Strait is “very sensitive,” it would be best to view his brief exchange with Clinton as an “exchange of polite greetings” at a diplomatic function.
“Only by doing so can we obtain the trust of our allies that have or do not have diplomatic ties with us,” he said. “We want them to know that we are stable and do not want to make trouble.”
But Taiwan cannot rely on occasional meetings alone to strengthen relations with the US, Ma said, adding that being low-key and “surprise-free” were the best policy.
Ma told reporters he did not think the meeting was “accidental.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had previously said Ma and Clinton would likely meet at the event.
Ma said it was apparent during his trip that his foreign policy and efforts to improve cross-strait relations over the past year had been successful and had earned recognition.
Ma said success in these areas had boosted his confidence, adding that he had achieved the goals he set for the trip and that the outcome was “better than expected.”
Ma said he was not against El Salvador’s plan to develop business ties with Beijing, and that the government’s relationship with El Salvador would be based on openness and practicality.
On foreign aid offered to diplomatic allies, Ma said his policy was teaching them to fish rather than feeding them for a day.
Ma held talks with Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega after the inauguration.
During Ma’s meeting with Zelaya, the two agreed that Taiwan would assist Honduras in three areas: construction technology for power facilities, development of clean energy and urban development, said Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), who accompanied Ma on the trip.
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