President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will visit the nation's six diplomatic allies in the South Pacific in six days, the first time Taiwan's head of state will be visiting so many allies in such a short period of time.
This will also be Ma's first visit to the nation's Pacific allies since he took office in May 2008.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said the trip was important for three main reasons.
While former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) preferred holding multilateral summits with the leaders of allied countries, Lin said, Ma favored bilateral meetings because his “flexible diplomacy” had stabilized the relationship with the nation's diplomatic allies.
“We hope to strengthen exchanges with our diplomatic allies via bilateral meetings, which are more direct and effective,” Lin said. “It not only corresponds to the needs of our allies, but also creates a new cooperation model that could create business opportunities for Taiwan.”
Ma's visit shows that he attaches great importance to Taiwan's allies and reflects the significance of interaction between senior officials, Lin said.
Finally, the visit was made in response to invitations by leaders of the allied countries, Lin said. Through his visit, the president will also be in a better position to understand the situation in those countries and work to strengthen cooperation projects, he said.
Asked by media what could be gained by visiting so many countries in such a short period, Matthew Lee (李世明), director-general of the ministry's Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the length of the visits was not the point, but that the sincerity behind them was.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said the administration respected the “professional judgment” of the ministry and that the purpose of the trip was to strengthen diplomatic ties.
Lin said Ma and his 50-member entourage will leave on March 21, returning on March 27. The plane will refuel in Guam on the way there and back.
The six countries Ma will visit are, in order: the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, the Solomon Islands and Palau.
Lin said refueling in Guam was purely technical and had no political motive.
The delegation will stay one night in Kiribati, Nauru and Palau and two nights in the Solomon Islands, with brief stops in the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.
The ministry has arranged meetings and state dinners with the leaders of the six allies.
In the Marshall Islands, Ma will attend a tree-planting ceremony and the theme of his visit will be medical health. Conservation and fishing cooperation will be the focus of his stay in Kiribati, where Ma will visit an aquatic breeding center.
In Tuvalu, where the focus will be vocational training, Ma will inspect a farm established with the help of the nation's agricultural mission. Agricultural cooperation and food safety will be the theme of his stay in Nauru, where Ma will visit a phosphate mine.
The focus of Ma's visit to the Solomon Islands will be clean energy. He will speak at the parliament and accept a medal.
Cultural exchanges will be the theme of his visit to Palau. Activities will include a trip to a conservation center.
First lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) will not be on the trip.
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