President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of March 9 with a delegation led by Mr. Mario Monti (former Prime Minister of Italy and former European Commissioner) and Mrs. Monti. In addition to briefing his visitors on relations between Taiwan and Italy, the president also expressed hope that Italy will support the signing of an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and the European Union (EU).
In remarks, President Ma noted that Mr. Monti is revered in Italian political circles. He served as European Commissioner for Internal Market, Financial Services, and Tax Policy from 1995 to 1999, and then for Competition from 1999 to 2004. In 2011 he was appointed Senator for life. As prime minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, he served concurrently for a time as Minister of Economy and Finance, and later as Minister of Foreign Affairs. In addition, Mr. Monti is a world-renowned economist who is currently the president of Università Bocconi. This was the first visit to Taiwan for Mr. and Mrs. Monti, and a first for an Italian official at the prime minister-level, which made his presence here especially significant.
Commenting on relations between Taiwan and Italy, President Ma noted that bilateral ties have always been very friendly. The two nations have close substantive ties in fields such as economic affairs, technology, education, and arts & culture. Italy is currently Taiwan's fifth-largest trading partner in the European Union, with two-way trade in 2015 reaching US$3.7 billion, while direct investment by Taiwan in Italy now stands at about US$700 million. With strong support from the Italian Parliament, Taiwan and Italy signed an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation last year, which will inject new vigor in bilateral economic and trade relations. The agreement will have a positive impact, not only by improving the business climate and tax treatment for companies, but also by increasing industry willingness to invest and engage in a broad range of exchanges.
The president further pointed out that in the fields of technology and education, Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Research Council (NRC) of Italy in 2011 signed another four-year science cooperation agreement under which the two sides fund selected research projects, scientific seminars, and reciprocal visits. And in February of 2015, experts from Taiwan traveled to the NRC headquarters in Rome to hold the Taiwan-Italy Bilateral Workshop on Smart Cities to discuss related technologies, research results, and the possible direction of future cooperation. The president added that in 2011 Taiwan's Ministry of Education and the Third University of Rome (Università degli studi Roma Tre) signed a Letter of Intent on the Designation of Taiwan Academy Contact Points and Bilateral Cooperation. This has contributed to further deepening of bilateral academic and research ties, and will be a big boost for future cooperation.
On the topic of artistic and cultural exchange, President Ma pointed out that Italy's artistic and cultural assets are world famous, and some of Taiwan's foremost artists and cultural groups frequently visit Italy to participate in performances at international cultural events held there. A delegation from Taiwan has taken part in the renowned Venice Biennale arts exhibition, for example, every year it has been held since 1995; as mayor of Taipei City, he once led a group of participants to that event, and the experience left a deep impression on him. In addition, he mentioned, his wife Chow Mei-ching (周美青) served as the honorary leader of the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra when those two troupes performed in Italy in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The National Palace Museum and the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence last November also jointly held the Giuseppe Castiglione—Lang Shining New Media Art Exhibition. All of these activities point to the increasingly frequent cultural exchanges and close cooperation between the two sides, said the president.
President Ma stated that since he took office in 2008 the government has actively sought to negotiate and sign economic cooperation agreements with its major trading partners in order to make the nation's industries more competitive. Since 2010 Taiwan has signed investment and economic cooperation agreements with mainland China, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore, and in 2013 resumed negotiations with the United States under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. At the same time, the ROC has been actively pursuing entry into regional economic integration bodies such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Two-way trade last year between Taiwan and the EU totaled US$46.4 billion, and in October of 2013 the European Parliament passed a resolution on EU-Taiwan trade relations calling on the European Commission to launch negotiations with Taiwan on investment protection and market access agreements. Last October, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade issued a paper entitled "Trade for All: Towards a more responsible trade and investment policy," in which the Commission expressly states its intention to explore launching negotiations on an investment agreement with Taiwan. The president expressed hope that the government of Italy will continue to support Taiwan to facilitate further deepening of its economic and trade ties with Italy and the EU.
Regarding cross-strait relations, President Ma said that since taking office he has actively sought to improve cross-strait relations, achieving exceptional results. Over the past seven years, Taiwan has 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 seek peaceful cross-strait relations in line with the 1992 Consensus—whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. The two sides have signed 23 agreements, and the ministers in charge of cross-strait affairs from each side have met seven times, addressing each other using their official titles during the meetings. These developments show that the two sides have established a solid foundation for mutual trust.
President Ma also mentioned that on November 7 last year he met, in an atmosphere that met the prerequisite conditions of equality and dignity, with mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in Singapore to exchange views on the need to "consolidate peace in the Taiwan Strait and maintain the status quo in cross-strait relations." The two sides confirmed their shared intent to continue, based on the 1992 Consensus, to work to maintain cross-strait peace and prosperity. This clearly shows, he said, that the Taiwan Strait has been transformed from a flashpoint of conflict into an avenue of peace.
Commenting on the topic of international participation, President Ma noted that even though Taiwan currently maintains official diplomatic relations with only 22 nations, the number of countries and areas that provide ROC nationals with visa-free entry or landing visa courtesies now stands at 161, up from 54 in 2007 before he took office. "It is thus clear," he said, "that other nations are quite willing to engage with us." Taiwan has participated in the World Health Assembly for seven consecutive years since 2009, and in that same year became a party to the WTO's Government Procurement Agreement. And in 2013, the director general of our Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications attended the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). All of these breakthroughs mean a lot in terms of Taiwan's ability to participate in international affairs. Italy has on many occasions spoken up on behalf of the ROC in international venues over the years, voicing explicit support for Taiwan's participation in the ICAO and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The president expressed gratitude for this strong friendship. He then expressed hope that Italy will continue to lend support and assistance for Taiwan's participation in other international bodies so that the ROC can contribute to the international community.
The visitors were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Italian Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Office Representative Donato Scioscioli and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Leo Chen-jan Lee (李澄然). The meeting was also attended by National Security Council Advisor Andrew N.D. Yang (楊念祖).