President Ma Ying-jeou praised Taiwan-Haiti relations and vowed to bolster bilateral cooperation on Tuesday evening.
Ma made the remarks at a banquet for Haitian President Michel J. Martelly, who is leading a delegation to Taiwan on a four-day trip. Martelly is the first Haitian president to visit Taiwan in 12 years. The visit follows a trip to Haiti by Ma last August. Ma is the first Taiwanese president to make a state visit to the Caribbean nation in 58 years of bilateral relations.
During the state banquet, Ma awarded Martelly the Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon. Martelly returned the favor by presenting Ma with the Haitian medal of honor.
The two leaders also signed a joint communique aimed at promoting bilateral ties. After the signing of the communique, both countries formally launched a 2014-2018 program that includes Taiwanese technical assistance to set up a national rice research center in Haiti. Haiti is one of Taiwan's 22 diplomatic allies. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1956.