President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation of parliamentarians from the Upper House of India's Parliament belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the morning of March 31 at the President Office. The president, on behalf of the government of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a cordial welcome to the guests on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma said that he met with the BJP's President Singh 2 years ago when he visited India. In addition, Mr. Singh also sent him a congratulatory letter after he won the election to become President of the ROC. The president said that he is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to meet and hold discussions with senior members of the BJP from the Upper House of Parliament. President Ma especially commented that Parliamentarian Najma Heptulla is a very well-liked person in India. In addition to serving as a member of the Upper House of Parliament, she had also been nominated by the BJP as its candidate for Vice President.
President Ma also said that he recalls that when he delivered an address before the World Affairs Council of India, the president of the organization who was presiding over the conference mentioned that it had been 60 years since a member of the Kuomintang had visited India. President Ma said he believes that there is far too little contact between the two sides and that in the future both sides should strengthen interaction and understanding. He also encouraged a higher level of contact between people of both countries. The president said that in the wake of the improvement in relations between Taiwan and mainland China, many countries which do not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan are interested in strengthening friendly relations with us. He expressed his hope that Taiwan and India will take advantage of the situation to boost bilateral relations and expand cooperation in a variety of areas.
President Ma also said that bilateral relations between Taiwan and India are in many areas just getting off the ground and there is plenty of room for them to continue to grow. For instance, bilateral trade each year stands at about US$5 billion, comprising approximately 2% of Taiwan's total external trade. In addition, Taiwan investment in India is only about US$600 million. In light of this, the president said he hopes the two nations can strengthen economic and trade dealings. The president said formal negotiations on technology cooperation and investment protection are getting underway, which he said will serve as a good foundation from which substantive friendly relations can develop.
Dr. Heptulla expressed her appreciation on behalf of the delegation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. She said that this is the first time she has represented the BJP in meeting with the president. She also expressed her hopes that President Ma will bring progress and break new ground on the political, economic and social fronts for Taiwan.