The Presidential Office has released a statement in response to the announcement on October 4 by the United States administration that it has approved sales of weapons to Taiwan:
President Ma Ying-jeou, on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China, deeply appreciates today's announcement by the United States administration that it has approved the sale of arms to Taiwan. President Ma welcomes US President George W. Bush's decision to stand by America's commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act.
Since taking office on May 20, the ROC government led by President Ma has continuously strived to ensure the nation's sovereignty and security, has sought to re-establish a relationship between Taiwan and the United States based on mutual trust, and has promoted the development of peaceful relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. We feel that today's announcement by the US administration marks an end to the turmoil in Taiwan-US relations of the past eight years and also represents the beginning of a new era in peace and security, as well as mutual trust between Taiwan and the United States.
We believe that a strong national defense and peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are fundamental for Taiwan's security and prosperity. Procuring defensive arms from the United States is not only beneficial to Taiwan's national defense and security, but also will reduce misjudgments with regards to the state of affairs in the Taiwan Strait. This will foster the peaceful development of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and will also lead to greater stability and peace in East Asia.