President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 22 with Jim Pattison, the president and chief executive officer of The Jim Pattison Group, Canada's second largest privately held company. In addition to extending a cordial welcome to Mr. Pattison on his visit to the ROC, the president also expressed hope for the continued deepening of economic and trade relations between Taiwan and Canada.
In remarks, the president stated that the ROC-Canada relationship is characterized by sincerity and cordiality, yielding continuous substantive progress. For instance, following Taiwan's 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, Canada's foreign minister issued statements of congratulations, after which the nation also sent delegations to attend both inauguration ceremonies. High-ranking government officials from the two countries also have frequent bilateral exchanges and interaction, with the president noting that during his tenure in office, he has met with over 30 delegations of Canadian parliamentarians in seven years. This points to the continued strengthening of bilateral ties, he said.
As for ties between the private sectors in the two nations, President Ma noted that the ROC has signed youth working holiday agreements with 13 countries, an increase from two prior to his taking office in 2008. The Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Mobility signed between the ROC and Canada in 2010 has been extremely popular among young people here, with the 1,000 slots available each year falling far short of demand.
The president stated that 148 countries and areas, covering 98% of the locations ROC nationals visit most frequently, now provide ROC nationals with visa-free entry or landing visa courtesies compared to just 54 before he took office. He then mentioned that since Canada granted visa-free courtesies to ROC nationals in November of 2010, the number of Taiwan visitors to Canada has grown from 52,000 before 2010 to over 69,000 last year, an increase of 33%. The number of weekly flights between the two countries also increased from 13 to 17, the president stated.
In terms of economic and trade ties, President Ma noted that Taiwan is Canada's 12th-largest global trading partner, and fifth-largest in Asia. Canada is the largest source of nickel for Taiwan, while also serving as its third largest import source of iron, and fifth largest for coal. Bilateral trade last year reached nearly US$5.5 billion.
The president explained to Mr. Pattison that Taiwan's high-tech industry has for many years enjoyed a crucial position in the East Asian and global supply chains. Taiwan has long had an international reputation for offering outstanding quality and affordable pricing. In an effort to continue to enhance its industrial competitiveness, Taiwan is presently promoting the Industrial Upgrade and Transformation Action Plan to encourage industries to add value through innovation as well as implementing its Productivity 4.0 initiative. These programs are focusing on smart manufacturing as a foundation, while integrating the Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing technology to optimize Taiwan's industrial structure and facilitate industrial upgrades. President Ma welcomed and encouraged The Jim Pattison Group to invest in and procure products from Taiwan.
Turning to the government's policy of economic and trade liberalization, President Ma commented that although Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002, only a handful of nations have signed free trade agreements with Taiwan. After he took office in 2008, the government, in an effort to overcome this predicament, signed the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with mainland China, the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, the ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand, and the ASTEP economic partnership agreement with Singapore. The president hopes that Taiwan will also sign an economic cooperation agreement (ECA) with Canada, and ultimately join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The president remarked that the joint efforts of the ROC and Canadian governments have enabled the two sides to complete negotiations on an avoidance of double taxation agreement (ADTA) that he expects to be signed in the near future. Both sides have also reached a consensus that after signing the ADTA, they will quickly commence negotiations on a foreign investment protection agreement. Based on that foundation, the president said, the ROC is optimistic about exploring an ECA with Canada. During last year's APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Beijing, Taiwan's representative, former Vice President Vincent C. Siew (蕭萬長), met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with both sides favorably disposed toward strengthening economic and trade relations. Canadian Minister of International Trade Ed Fast has also expressed support in this regard.
President Ma emphasized that the ROC is the world's 19th-largest trading nation and 25th-largest economic entity. In addition, it is presently the ninth-largest trading nation of the 21-member APEC. The Heritage Foundation, a think tank based in Washington D.C., in January of this year ranked Taiwan 14th in the world in its 2015 Index of Economic Freedom, which is the highest level Taiwan has enjoyed since 1995. The first round of TPP negotiations is nearing completion, and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel has stated that the United States will give Taiwan serious consideration as a candidate for TPP membership. President Ma pointed out that Canada is not only a negotiating member of the TPP, but like Taiwan is also a member of the WTO and APEC. He hopes that Mr. Pattison will exercise his influence and speak to the Canadian government on Taiwan's behalf, supporting the signing of an ADTA, FIPA, and ECA with Taiwan, as well as TPP membership for Taiwan. This would continue to deepen the substantive economic and trade relationship between Taiwan and Canada, he said.