President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of March 8 with Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Republic of the Philippines. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, expressed a warm welcome to former President Ramos on his latest visit to Taiwan. The two exchanged opinions on a broad range of issues, including cross-strait relations and regional security. President Ma also expressed his hope that this visit will enable the former president to gain an even deeper understanding of Taiwan and help to enhance the bilateral relationship.
President Ma, in recognition of his visitor's upcoming 84th birthday, wished him the best of health and happiness. President Ma remarked that since taking office in May 2008 he has sought to improve relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, using the "1992 Consensus" and "one China, respective interpretations" as the basis upon which to promote the development of peace in the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, the ROC has embraced a policy of "viable diplomacy." These policies have helped to forge greater peace and stability in the region, and consequently the relationship between Taiwan and the Philippines has also moved forward.
The president emphasized that he places great importance on the relationship with the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the ROC's closest neighbors, and shares with Taiwan the values of freedom and democracy. Meanwhile, people-to-people contacts between the two sides are quite close. To date, the two countries have signed 21 agreements that help to promote a wide range of interaction, and former President Ramos, when he chaired the Boao Forum for Asia three years ago, specially called on the ROC, the Philippines, and the mainland Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong to work toward trilateral economic co-prosperity by deepening their economic and trade cooperation. The president said he hopes that former President Ramos will provide his valuable opinions on the cross-strait relationship, regional security, and other topics during this visit.
President Ma also mentioned that in December of last year when Typhoon Washi swept through the Philippines the ROC provided assistance and expressed its condolences for the loss of life and property caused by the storm. The president said he hopes that the ROC can play the role of a peacemaker, a provider of humanitarian aid, a promoter of cultural ties, a creator of new technologies and business opportunities, and a standard-bearer of Chinese culture. He stated that he hopes that the aforementioned objectives can be entirely integrated with Taiwan's policy towards the Philippines. At the same time, he looks forward to seeing even closer cooperation and interaction between the two sides.
Former President Ramos, Manila Economic and Cultural Office Chairman Amadeo R. Perez Jr. and Resident Representative of the Philippines to Taiwan Antonio I. Basilio were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Gary Song-Huann Lin (林松煥) to meet President Ma. Also sitting in on the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ko Kuang-yueh (葛光越).