President Chen Shui-bian on July 10 met a visiting delegation of Canadian parliamentarians at the Presidential Building.
The president said that over the past several years, he has annually had the pleasure of welcoming a group of Canadian lawmakers to Taiwan. During visits in the past, he said, discussions would touch on the issue of problems associated with Canadian exports of beef to Taiwan. This time, however, he is delighted to tell the visitors that based on suggestions by experts and after scientific analysis, the Taiwan government has decided to conditionally open the local market to Canadian beef. The president said that the conditions governing imports of Canadian beef are the same as those for imports of beef from the United States.
President Chen said that Taiwan and Canada maintain close trade ties and commercial cooperation. Last year, bilateral trade reached US$4.6 billion, with Taiwan enjoying a trade surplus amounting to US$2.2 billion. The president hopes that the imports of Canadian products, including beef, will help reduce the trade imbalance between the two nations. President Chen furthermore said that while Taiwan is small, it is Canada's 11th largest trading partner and is its fourth largest trading partner in Asia. He hopes the two countries will continue to make efforts to bolster trade and commercial cooperation.
President Chen also said that while Taiwan and Canada do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, the broad political make-up of the visiting delegation, which includes members from the four major parties, namely the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Quebecois and the New Democratic Party, indicates that parliamentary support and concern for Taiwan transcend party divisions.
The president said that over the past four years, Canada's parliament has on six occasions passed resolutions expressing support for Taiwan to be an observer in the World Health Assembly. On May 14 this year when the WHA decided to discuss Taiwan's application to enter the body, Canada was the first country to speak in support of Taiwan having meaningful participation in the body. President Chen reiterated his gratitude to the Canadian government and its health minister for their efforts in this regard.
The president said that Canada puts great emphasis on peace, security and stability in the Taiwan Strait and staunchly supports the health and human rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan. He hopes that the two countries can work together so that restrictions on visits to Canada by high-ranking Taiwan officials can be re-examined and lifted. President Chen added that he also hopes the two countries will sign a criminal mutual assistance agreement to fight international crime, and the Canadian government and parliament will look into providing visa free courtesies to Taiwan tourists.
Members of the delegation visiting Taiwan include Fabian Manning, Pablo Rodriguez, Johanne Deschamps, Dawn Black, Carole Freeman, Luc Harvey and Marcel Lussier.