President Ma Ying-jeou met with National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) President George D. Schwab on the afternoon of April 14 at the Presidential Office and welcomed Mr. Schwab to Taiwan on behalf of the government of the ROC (Taiwan).
President Ma noted that the NCAFP holds an illustrious reputation in the field of international affairs in the United States. The organization was founded by renowned American international relations scholar Hans J. Morgenthau. Henry Kissinger at one point was also an important member of the agency. Over the past seven or eight years, the NCAFP has annually sent a group of observers to Taiwan and mainland China, and the organization holds a highly prestigious position in the American academic community with regards to cross-strait research. The president commented that he and Mr. Schwab have crossed paths before; President Ma said that in the past he attended, and benefited greatly from, an NCAFP seminar held in New York, which was attended by many experts and scholars associated with Taiwan's various political parties. The president also observed that the NCAFP assembled a highly respected group of individuals to attend a recent conference held here to mark the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. In addition to Donald S. Zagoria and other renowned professors, Ambassador Winston Lord delivered a memorable lecture during the conference. The president expressed appreciation to the visitors and offered a warm welcome to Taiwan.
President Ma noted that the NCAFP assembled a delegation that visited Taiwan in May of last year, as well. He met with the delegation, and the two sides discussed the direction of policy for the new administration. The president said he is pleased that over the 11 months since that meeting, he has implemented the policies discussed then, and the results have been as anticipated. The president said that several days ago he listened to Ambassador Lord comment that now marks the best period in relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the United States in the past 60 years. He said he was extremely pleased to hear this, especially since he has wished to see an improvement in ties. The president indicated that he will use the existing foundation to continue to work to improve relations between the United States, mainland China, and Taiwan.
President Schwab thanked President Ma for taking time out of his schedule to meet with the group and praised Taiwan's democratic achievements. He also expressed his support for the work carried out by President Ma since taking office to improve cross-strait relations.