The president was greeted on his plane by American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt upon arrival at the San Francisco International Airport. Sources said that during his 24-hour stay in the United States, Ma will speak on the phone with close to 20 members of the U.S. Congress, and explain to them Taiwan’s policy on U.S. beef imports as well as the needs to purchase more arms from the United States for defense purposes.
Ma held a private meeting with U.S. House Representative David Wu (D-Oregon) shortly after arriving in San Francisco, during which Wu expressed hopes that Taiwan can obtain the F-16C/D fighter planes it desires. In response, Ma stressed that his administration will be proactive in trying to obtain the planes, but conceded that the final decision rests with Washington.
The Associated Press reported Jan. 25 that the Obama administration has been in consultations with Congress about Taiwan’s defense needs ahead of a formal announcement of a weapons sale.
“The package is likely to include UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles and material related to Taiwan defense communications network,” the AP report indicated, citing senior congressional aides.
In response to the report, officials at the ROC Presidential Office said they have not been notified of an announcement.
While in San Francisco, Ma is also scheduled to meet with Taiwanese expatriates before departing for Honduras for the inauguration ceremony of Honduran president-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa. Ma is scheduled to arrive at Honduras at 8:30 p.m., Jan. 27, Taipei time.
Commenting on the political situation in Honduras, Ma said that though few nations recognize the legitimacy of the Honduran government at the moment, the number is sure to increase after Lobo assumes office.
Upon leaving Honduras, Ma is also scheduled to stop in the Dominican Republic Jan. 28, Taipei time. His chartered plane is carrying more than 10 tons of disaster relief supplies, which will be unloaded upon Ma’s arrival in the Dominican Republic and trucked into Haiti.
The president spoke with Haitian President Rene Preval on Jan. 22, during which Ma conveyed his condolences to the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti, and offered to discuss possible cooperation plans between the two countries if the two heads of state were to meet later. (LC-HZW)