President Ma Ying-jeou has addressed the Central American Parliament on what is to be the final overseas tour of his presidency. On Tuesday, Ma visited the Central American Parliament’s Guatemala City headquarters.
He told representatives from the Parliament’s member countries that his administration has spent the past eight years working to improve cross-strait relations. He said he has promoted improved relations with Mainland China on the basis of Taiwan’s constitution and the 1992 Consensus. Under the 1992 Consensus, Taiwan and the Mainland agree that both belong to “One China” but allow for different interpretations of what “One China” means.
Ma also said that a growth in mutual trust allowed him to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Singapore last year. Ma said that he and Xi Jinping reached an important consensus on consolidating cross-strait peace and the cross-strait status quo at the meeting.
Ma said that with these peaceful developments, Taiwan will not oppose the growth of unofficial trade relations between its diplomatic allies and China.
Ma also discussed Taiwan’s humanitarian work in Latin America
He said that Taiwan has donated more than 4000 metric tons of rice to allies the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Honduras, while providing Panama and Paraguay with flood and drought relief.