President Ma Ying-jeou met with American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt on the morning of March 18 at the Presidential Office and extended a warm welcome to him on his visit to Taiwan.
President Ma commented that this marks the first time that Chairman Burghardt has visited Taiwan since the presidential inauguration on May 20 last year. The president said that over the past 10 months, significant changes have taken place in the relationship between Taiwan, the United States and mainland China. Since his administration took office, it has embraced the "1992 consensus" between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and has used this as the foundation from which to resume negotiations with mainland China. The result has been a series of improvements in relations between the two sides, he said.
President Ma furthermore said that tensions between the two sides have been reduced step by step, first starting with the June inauguration of weekend charter flights between Taiwan and mainland China and the decision to allow Chinese yuan to be exchanged in Taiwan, and then progressing to the opening of the three big links in November that was made possible by the signing of four agreements. At the same time, mutual trust in the upper echelons of leadership between Taiwan and the United States has been re-established. In early October of last year, then US President Bush informed the Congress that approval had been granted for a large portion of a package of arms that Taiwan had been seeking to purchase from the United States for many years. In late November, the ROC sent former Vice President Lien Chan to attend the APEC informal leaders summit in Peru, marking a breakthrough in the level of the official who represents the president in attending the event. In December, Taiwan joined the WTO's Government Procurement Agreement, throwing the doors open to more opportunities for American, Japanese and European countries to invest in Taiwan and help improve the quality of public infrastructure projects here. In January of this year, the United States removed Taiwan from the Special 301 Watch List, demonstrating that bilateral relations are becoming smoother and also signifying that Taiwan's efforts over the years in safeguarding intellectual property rights have yielded results. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has agreed to integrate Taiwan in the International Health Regulations.
President Ma said that while progress has been seen in the cooperative relationship between Taiwan and the United States, work still needs to be carried out on many issues. The president cited a free trade agreement and an extradition treaty between the two sides, the United States granting visa-free courtesies for the people of Taiwan, and the liberalization of American beef imports here as areas in which the two sides need to forge progress.
President Ma furthermore said that in the wake of improved relations between Taiwan and mainland China, Taiwan no longer needs to be a source of dispute between the United States and mainland China. As a result, the American side has been highly supportive of the measures taken by Taiwan. For instance, former President Bush, current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and a number of American government officials recently have expressed their satisfaction during Congressional hearings with the development of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. This gives us even more confidence in the stance adopted by Taiwan, the president said. With respect to this, President Ma said he wanted to specially explain to friends in the United States that Taiwan's efforts to improve cross-strait relations are on the one hand reducing tensions between the two sides, while on the other hand creating many new opportunities for cooperation. This is enabling each side to have a better understanding of the economy and culture of the other, paving the way for opportunities for consensus. This not only is positive for peace in the Taiwan Strait, but also is yielding benefits in terms of fostering regional stability and creating more breathing room for Taiwan in the international community. President Ma said that this trend is poised to continue, especially since it is beneficial to Taiwan, mainland China and the United States.
President Ma mentioned that April 10 this year will mark the 30th anniversary of the announcement and implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act. He recognized that many present at the meeting today were involved in the process of creating the legislation. At that time, he said, he was studying for his doctorate in the United States. While the Taiwan Relations Act in those days triggered considerable discussion, the legislation has proven to have made an invaluable contribution to maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait and relations between Taiwan and the United States. In reflection of this, six US presidents who have served since the implementation of the TRA have expressed their support for it. A number of American research institutions and the Congress plan to hold special seminars or activities to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the TRA.
Chairman Burghardt expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He noted that this not only marks his first visit to Taiwan since the May 20 presidential inauguration here, but also the first since President Obama took office. He said he is bringing with him the best regards of the new American administration. Chairman Burghardt commented that Taiwan has many friends in the American government. He expressed a high regard for President Ma's initiatives to improve relations in the Taiwan Strait, adding that this progress will lead to stability and avoid misinterpretations of the situation in the Strait. In addition, he said, the opening of the three links between the two sides and improved communication are not only in the interests of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also are beneficial to American companies. Chairman Burghardt said that he will continue to look into the issues where President Ma indicated that further talks need to be held so that both sides can work together on tackling them.