President Ma Ying-jeou has set off on the final overseas tour of his presidency.
During his weeklong trip, Ma will be visiting Central American allies Guatemala and Belize. He will meet with the leaders of regional allies and address the Central American Parliament.
Before his departure on Sunday, Ma said that though he will be leaving office in just over two months, he does not believe in taking on a “caretaker” role.
Ma has invited the prime ministers of three more allies to a meeting during his time in Belize. During his time at the Central American Parliament, he will also meet with leaders and politicians from several of Taiwan’s other regional allies. Ma said that although he will only visit two diplomatic allies, he will be meeting with representatives from ten, the highest number he has met during any overseas visit of his presidency.
He said that although his term in office will end in May, Taiwan’s difficult international position means that its foreign relations are crucial and cannot afford to go through a transitional period.
Ma said that the eight years of his presidency have seen a move away from the checkbook diplomacy of previous administrations. In its place, his administration has adopted a policy it has dubbed “viable diplomacy”.
He said that although the foreign affairs budget has been cut by around US$500 million over the past eight years, the government’s foreign policy has been achieving better results. Ma said this shows that the key to success in diplomacy is not money but policies and their execution.