Before boarding the plane on the 13th, Chen Shui-bian delivered a short speech in which he stated, "Taiwan must stand up and be counted." The purpose of this trip, said Chen, is to share Taiwan's experiences with other countries, and he also indicated the hope that this trip would help to solidify Taiwan's diplomatic relations.
十三日，陳水扁總統在登機前發表簡短談話時表示，台灣要「站起來、走出去」，此次出國訪問，即是希望將中華民國各項成就與世人分享，同時，也希望此行能對鞏固我國邦誼有所幫助，把國際友誼帶回來。