President Ma Ying-jeou met with American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt on the morning of November 24 at the Presidential Office. The president expressed a cordial welcome and appreciation to Chairman Burghardt for making a special trip to Taiwan to provide further explanation regarding US President Barack Obama's recent visit to mainland China.
The president remarked that President Obama recently completed his trip to mainland China and returned to the United States. Shortly thereafter, Chairman Burghardt was briefed by the State Department and the White House on the trip, and he has come to Taiwan to provide a detailed account of the meetings, along with the press conference and the signing of a joint statement between the United States and mainland China, President Ma said. In addition, before President Obama traveled to mainland China, United States authorities contacted counterparts in Taiwan to indicate the itinerary and the anticipated developments. The ROC's representative agencies in the United States have traditionally received information from American counterparts prior to and after visits by the US president to mainland China. However, ROC agencies received more comprehensive information regarding this most recent trip than any other, which President Ma said reflects the efforts of Chairman Burghardt and the sincerity of the US government. The president expressed his deepest appreciation in this regard.
President Ma said that this trip marked the first visit by a US president to mainland China since he assumed the presidency, and it also represents the first time that President Obama has traveled to mainland China since becoming the leader of the United States. Therefore, various observers in Taiwan are keenly interested in what President Obama and the leaders from mainland China talked about, said, and signed. As a result, President Ma said observers here are making every effort to interpret the discussions, adding that he hopes Chairman Burghardt can appreciate this situation.
The president furthermore said that with regards to the import of beef from the United States, Taiwan opened its doors as promised on November 2 to expanded imports of US beef. However, the Taiwan public still has reservations about some US beef parts. In response, the government will impose the so-called "three controls and five checks" on imported American beef to ensure that items such as the distal ileum and the tonsils are not imported, as based on specifications set forth by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Parts that can be imported but that will not be, including cow brains, cow eyes, skull, and vertebral column, will of course not constitute any problem, he said. President Ma said that the public is concerned about the import of ground beef and internal organs. However, he said that the government will impose the three controls and five checks under the condition that these measures do not violate the bilateral agreement signed between the two countries. He said that these measures are to ensure that imported beef does not contain any specified risk materials, enterohemorrhagic E. coli, or other microorganisms, thereby guaranteeing that these imports will not cause health problems here. The aforementioned measures conform to regulations by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Health Organization, he said. Since the ROC emphasizes the health of its people, it will take every measure to ensure that these products are safe. At the same time, however, the ROC also deeply respects its commitments and international obligations, and absolutely will not violate them, he said. President Ma said he has every confidence that authorities here responsible for health matters and economic affairs will find a good way to handle both of these concerns appropriately.
With regards to the procurement of arms, President Ma said that Taiwan has consistently sought to acquire F16 C/D fighters as soon as possible in order to replace its aging fleet of F5 fighters. This will help to ensure the security of Taiwan's airspace, he said. Also over the past year, Taiwan has expressed that it is extremely interested in enabling its citizens to be included under the US visa waiver program, signing an extradition treaty, and entering into an investment and trade framework agreement. The president said he hopes Chairman Burghardt will collect information on these issues on this trip to provide to the US government for reference.
Chairman Burghardt said that he is extremely pleased to have this opportunity to meet with President Ma. He remarked that he previously had the opportunity to meet with President Ma when he made a transit stop in Hawaii.
Chairman Burghardt stated that he was briefed by high-ranking officials in Washington D.C. on President Obama's China trip after the president returned to the US form the trip. Issues addressed included the topics discussed during President Obama's trip to mainland China and other Asian nations. Chairman Burghardt said that on this visit he has met with a variety of organizations and individuals. He said he would like to especially stress that when President Obama was in Beijing, he reiterated, both in public and private, that the relationship between the United States and Taiwan is unchanged. This is a long-term and stable relationship, he said. President Obama also stated that the United States will fulfill the self-defense needs of the Taiwan people. Chairman Burghardt said that President Obama has said privately, publicly and even in the joint statement that the position of the United States towards Taiwan will not change. The United States will not adopt any position on the topic of Taiwan's sovereignty, he said. The United States places great importance on the Taiwan Relations Act, he added, noting that this document forms the central basis for interaction between the people of Taiwan and the United States. Chairman Burghardt said that the United States has long urged the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to adopt peaceful means to resolve issues between the two in a manner that is satisfactory to the people of both sides.
Chairman Burghardt was accompanied to the Presidential Building in the morning by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shen Lyu-shun and William A. Stanton, Director of the AIT Taipei Office. Also in attendance was National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi.