President Ma
Meets With Panama's
President-Elect
Panama (CNA) - Republic of China
President Ma Ying-jeou met with Panama's
President-elect Ricardo Martinelli Tuesday
for a short talk immediately after he
arrived in Panama City on a three-day state
visit.
Martinelli said he attaches great importance
to the friendship that the two countries
have maintained and expects that
long-lasting bilateral business and trade
ties will continue, according to
Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi.
Martinelli hoped Taiwan would share its
experience in developing mass rapid transit
systems with Panama, which Ma responded was
something that Taiwan was more than willing
to do.
The Panamanian president-elect also
expressed an interest in soliciting more
investment from Taiwan's commercial and
industrial sectors, and Ma suggested that
Panama provide Taiwan with related
information to facilitate such initiatives.
On Martinelli's desire for Panama to develop
closer commercial exchanges with China, Ma
said Taiwan will not oppose its diplomatic
allies developing business ties with China
as long as they do not compromise formal
diplomatic relations, Wang said.
Ma also invited Martinelli and his Cabinet
officials to visit Taiwan soon after his
inauguration, Wang said.
Ma, his wife Chow Mei-ching and a ROC
official delegation is scheduled to attend
Martinelli's inauguration slated for July 1.
After leaving Taipei June 29 and making a
transit stop in San Francisco, Ma arrived in
Panama to a red-carpet welcome extended by
the Panamanian government.
Hundreds of Taiwan expatriates crowded
outside the Hotel Sheraton in Panama City
where Ma and Chow are staying for two nights
before continuing on to Nicaragua July 3.
The Taiwanese expatriates greeted the
president by performing a lion dance and
waving Republic of China (Taiwan) and Panama
national flags.
Ma, Chow and the rest of the 129-member
Taiwan delegation were entertained at a
state banquet in the evening hosted by
outgoing Panamanian President Martin
Torrijos.
Before the banquet, Ma gave interviews to
the international news media and met with
leaders of Taiwan's expat communities in
Panama.
In a speech he delivered at the airport upon
his arrival, Ma said Taiwan and Panama have
maintained cordial and solid ties over the
past century since the two countries
established formal diplomatic relations in
1909.
He said bilateral ties became even closer
after the two countries signed a free trade
agreement in 2004.
Ma lauded the Panamanian people for
completing the presidential election May 3
in a democratic and peaceful atmosphere.
"The results and process of the election
have brought respect from peoples of other
countries to the Panamanian people and
established a new example of democratization
in the world as well, " Ma said.
Ma closed his address by saying in Spanish,
"I'm happy to visit your country for the
second time. Panama and Taiwan are true
friends." During the tree-day visit, Ma is
scheduled to tour the Panama Canal and
preside over the opening of a digitalized
Mandarin-learning classroom housed in the
Taiwan-Panama Culture Center in Panama City.
He is also scheduled to address Panama's new
parliament and visit a container port in
Colon that was built by Taiwanese
conglomerate Evergreen Maritime Corp.
Following his trip to Panama, Ma will travel
to Nicaragua where Nicaraguan President
Daniel Ortega will drive him to the hub of a
bilateral technological cooperation project.
He will also visit a trade fair at which
many Taiwanese companies will be showing
their latest products.
Ma and his entourage will make a layover
stop in Hawaii on their way home July 6.
His itinerary originally included a two-day
visit to Honduras, but Ma decided to cancel
his travel plans there after Honduran
President Manuel Zeyala was arrested and
forced into exile by military leaders Sunday
ahead of a controversial constitutional
referendum.
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