President Ma Ying-jeou will make an overnight stop in Haiti during a trip to three allied nations in Central America and the Caribbean later this month. The president’s trip will begin on July 11 and will also include stops in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, as well as transit stops in Boston and Los Angeles, before he returns to Taiwan on July 18.
The original plans had the president staying in Haiti for less than a day, due to safety concerns. But President Ma decided to stay overnight in the Caribbean nation in order to show that the Republic of China values its ties with Haiti.
The Republic of China (ROC) is the official name of Taiwan’s government.
Tensions have been running high on the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by two of the ROC’s allies – Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has taken a strong stance against what it says are illegal immigrants, moving to deport thousands of people to Haiti.
President Ma Ying-jeou will stay in the Dominican Republic for two nights. He decided to add a night in Haiti as well, saying that it was not enough to transit there for just a couple of hours.
The overnight stay will enable President Ma to participate in an official banquet hosted by Haiti’s president.
During the stopover, President Ma will also visit the new supreme court building, or Palais de Justice, in the Haitian capital. That’s one of two major construction projects that were funded by Taiwan following a devastating earthquake which rocked Haiti in 2010.