President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of July 21 with a delegation led by former US Vice President James Danforth Quayle. In addition to explaining to the visitors that the improvement in cross-strait has close bearing on Taiwan-US relations, the president also emphasized that a continuation of the current policies promoted by the ROC government will ensure the future stability of cross-strait relations and smooth ties between the ROC and the United States.
In remarks, the president first welcomed the former vice president to Taiwan and noted that when Mr. Qualye served in the House of Representatives, he actively participated in the formulation of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and strongly supported the ROC. President Ma expressed his deepest gratitude to Mr. Qualye for his actions in this regard.
The president said that in the seven years since he took office, he has made Taiwan-US relations the "priority of priorities," and that his administration has promoted bilateral interaction based on a "low key, no surprises" approach. Bilateral relations presently are at their best level in the 36 years since the TRA came into effect. Since 2011, US President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current Secretary of State John Kerry have commented on bilateral relations in a positive light, saying, for example, that Taiwan is "an important security and economic partner" of the United States. Recently, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton, in an address at the Brookings Institution, also recognized how good Taiwan-US relations are, referring to Taiwan as "a vital partner" of the United States in East Asia.
The president stated that the improvement in cross-strait relations and the development of ROC-US relations are closely related. Over the past seven years, the ROC government's efforts to improve cross-strait relations have yielded a significant peace dividend, he said. In particular, the impact of cross-strait relations on the ROC's international relationships has turned a vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel in April of last year stated in Congress: "As a general matter, we very much welcome and applaud the extraordinary progress that has occurred in cross-strait relations under the Ma administration." In February of this year, he reiterated: "One of the things that has made that relationship [between Taiwan and the United States] productive has been the progress in cross-straits relations." Deputy Assistant Secretary Thornton recently also emphasized that "the US-Taiwan 'unofficial relationship' has never been better.… And it must be said that an important ingredient of the close cooperation in recent years has been the stable management of cross-Strait ties." Ms. Thornton also explained: "The benefits that stable cross-Strait ties have brought to both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the United States, and the region have been enormous. It is important that both sides of the Strait understand the importance of these benefits and work to establish a basis for continued peace and stability. Maintaining close communication and a no-surprises, low-key approach has allowed all parties to demonstrate restraint and flexibility. We want to see this approach continue."
President Ma furthermore commented that prior to his taking office, the cross-strait relationship was characterized by confrontation and uncertainty, which consequently impacted ROC-US relations. Since he took office, however, the ROC government has consistently sought, under the framework of the ROC Constitution, to maintain the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" in the Taiwan Strait, and to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait ties under the 1992 Consensus, whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. This policy not only has promoted cross-strait peace, but at the same time corresponds to the interests of the United States, he said. The president remarked that last week when he visited Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, he exchanged opinions with a number of experts who study issues regarding Taiwan and mainland China, and that they all applauded the current state of cross-strait relations and the Taiwan-US relationship. Asked how the cross-strait relationship will develop after next year's presidential election, the president said that the results of the election are impossible to predict, but he is confident that so long as current policies are continued, stability in cross-strait relations can be guaranteed and that ROC-US relations will be smooth.
Discussing cooperation in the area of security, President Ma explained to Mr. Qualye that over the past seven years the United States has sold the ROC over US$18.3 billion worth of arms, the highest amount in the past two decades and double the amount that the United States sold to the prior ROC government. In addition, when screening the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 this past May, both the US Senate and the House of Representatives supported strengthening military interaction between Taiwan and the United States, along with inviting Taiwan for the first time to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) and Red Flag training exercises. This constituted important, unprecedented progress in bilateral relations, said the president.
The president noted that in fact, the cooperative relationship between the ROC and the United States in military security can be traced back to the War of Resistance Against Japan. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROC's victory in the War of Resistance and Taiwan's retrocession, and the government is specially inviting descendants of former US presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Harry S. Truman, along with descendants of Flying Tigers General Claire Lee Chennault and Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces in the China Theatre Albert Coady Wedemeyer to Taiwan to take part in commemorative activities, and to thank the United States for the crucial role it played in the ROC's security during World War II. President Ma mentioned that last week, after completing his visit to three ROC diplomatic partners in Latin America, he made a transit stop in Los Angeles, California on his return to Taiwan and specially toured the Yanks Air Museum where he met with Harold Javitt, a former member of the Flying Tigers. The president gave Mr. Javitt a military salute in a gesture to thank him for his sacrifices and assistance to the ROC during World War II.
The president also went on to mention economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. He pointed out that Taiwan last year vaulted past India and Saudi Arabia to become the 10th largest trading partner of the United States, while the United States has become Taiwan's second largest trading partner behind only mainland China. The ROC government is now actively working with the US, seeking to take part in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. This is extremely important, the president said, as in terms of dollar value, TPP members absorb 35% of Taiwan's exports.
Former Vice President Qualye then stated that Taiwan's continued progress in cross-strait relations and Taiwan-US relations under the wise leadership of President Ma has resulted in many outstanding achievements, and has earned the support of both the Democratic and Republican parties in the US. He feels that Taiwan and the United States share the core values of peace, stability, and freedom, and that Taiwan is an extremely vibrant democratic nation. Mr. Qualye went on to say that whatever the outcome of next year's presidential election, that decision will be made by the people of Taiwan. He furthermore hopes for continued stable development of Taiwan-US relations.
President Ma responded by saying that since the signing of the 1972 Shanghai Communique by the United States and mainland China, the basic attitude of the United States has been that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should resolve issues in a peaceful manner, but that it will not express any opinions on the content of the resolution. This is a smart and pragmatic policy, he said. The president noted that based on decades of experience in interaction with mainland China, the previously stated policy of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force," and in particular "no independence" has reduced cross-strait tension and provided an opportunity to resolve disputes in a peaceful manner. The president pointed out that on the fourth day after the ROC's presidential election in 2008, then mainland Chinese leader Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and former US President George W. Bush had a phone conversation, during which Mr. Hu stated that mainland China and Taiwan should resume negotiations and dialogue on the basis of the 1992 Consensus. This serves as the foundation in promoting cross-strait relations, and is beneficial to both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region, President Ma said.
Also in the delegation was President and CEO of the Project 2049 Institute Randall G. Schriver, and the visitors were accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Deputy Director Brent Christensen to meet with President Ma.