President Ma Ying-jeou arrived in San Francisco Monday evening for an overnight stop en route to Honduras for an official visit. Hundreds of Taiwanese expatriates residing in the northern California area braved the chilly winds and rain to welcome Ma at his hotel. They passionately chanted greetings during their brief encounter with the president. Ma shook hands with them, but refrained from making any public speeches, in keeping with a tacit understanding with the United States which diplomatically recognizes China rather than Taiwan. In a departure from past precedent, pro-independence Taiwanese expatriates did not show up to protest against what they call the Ma administration's China- leaning economic and diplomatic policies. Instead, they placed advertisements in Chinese-language newspapers to express their opposition to the Kuomintang government's market opening measures toward China and its plan to sign a cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement. Sources close to Ma's entourage said the president will hold talks with American politicians either in person at his hotel or by phone. Topics will range from a U.S.-Taiwan beef trade row to Taiwan's request for U.S. visa-free treatment for Taiwan passport holders, the sources said. On Ma's arrival in San Francisco, he was greeted by American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt, the top U.S. liaison officer with Taiwan in the absence of official ties. This is Ma's fourth overseas trip since assuming office in May 2008. After attending the Jan. 27 inauguration of Honduran President-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa, Ma will travel to the Dominican Republic for a brief visit to express his concern for neighboring Haiti after the Caribbean ally was struck by a deadly magnitude-7 earthquake Jan. 12. Ma's chartered flight is carrying 10 tons of disaster relief supplies which will be unloaded in the Dominican Republic for delivery by road to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. 