President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation of parliamentarians from Canada's House of Commons at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of December 15. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), expressed a cordial welcome to the group on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that the delegation is being led by Marlene Jennings, a Member of Parliament representing Quebec and that province's first female of African descent to be elected to parliament. She has been engaged in politics over the past 12 years and has served in many important positions in the Canadian government. The president noted that while the other three M.P.s present are all new to their positions, they have long been outstanding members in their respective communities and have made many contributions.
The president commented that the ROC (Taiwan) and Canada maintain extremely close relations. Last year bilateral trade stood at US$5.2 billion, he said. Taiwan is Canada's 13th largest trading partner and is its fourth largest trading partner in Asia, behind only mainland China, Japan, and Korea. Meanwhile, Taiwan is an important source of foreign students in Canada, the president said, citing data showing that the ROC (Taiwan) is the fourth largest source of foreign students, following the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. At present, 2,500 students from Taiwan are studying in Canada. This points to the close ties between the two nations, he said. President Ma added that he personally has a close bond with Toronto's Terry Fox Foundation. He has served as director of the organizing committee for the Terry Fox Run here for over 10 years and in this capacity he has interaction with the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei.
The president said that after being elected as president on March 22 last year, Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon sent him a note of congratulations and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper dispatched an envoy to attend his inauguration. He said he was deeply touched by these gestures. Meanwhile, on April 30 this year, Foreign Minister Cannon in an international setting expressed his support for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly that was to be held in Geneva. The president expressed his deepest appreciation to Canada for its support for Taiwan's participation in international activities.
President Ma explained that he began to make efforts to improve cross-strait relations immediately after taking office last year. He said he has emphasized the use of reason and pragmatism in resolving the state of tension in the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, the embrace of these principles has helped the ROC (Taiwan) gain expanded operating room for itself in the international community. This approach is advantageous in fostering stability and peace between Taiwan and mainland China, in the Taiwan Strait, and in the world, he said.
President Ma commented that Canada is an important nation in North America. Besides its wealth of natural resources, the country also enjoys democracy and economic prosperity, and as such the ROC (Taiwan) deeply hopes to build close relations with Canada, he said. Canada is also home to many compatriots from Taiwan. With the improvement in relations between Taiwan and mainland China, these compatriots can also serve as an important bridge, helping to further advance cooperation between Taiwan and Canada, he said. The president said we hope that our friends in Canada will expand their interaction with Taiwan, helping to forge continued progress in bilateral relations and resulting in mutual benefit.
The guests expressed their appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. They said they hope to exchange opinions with various sectors on a wide range of issues during their trip here. They also expressed their hopes for a continued strengthening of political and economic interaction and cooperation between Taiwan and Canada.