Then on May 21 President Chen departed on a trip to consolidate Taiwan's diplomatic ties in Latin America. Included on his agenda was attendance at the third summit meeting between Taiwan and its Central American diplomatic allies, where Chen exchanged views with his counterparts regarding political and economic issues, and investment. President Chen expressed his hope that cooperating with other countries around the globe would help Taiwan achieve economic growth.
五二○才剛過，陳水扁總統就於次日踏上鞏固邦交的「合作共榮、睦誼之旅」，參加第三屆中華民國與中美洲的元首高峰會，就政治、經貿、投資等議題與中美洲國家交換意見，也期望在全球互動思考下，能有助於國內經濟的成長。