President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation from the US National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) at the Presidential Office on the morning of June 9. In addition to welcoming the delegation to Taiwan, the president expressed his hopes that mutual efforts will help to further strengthen and develop relations between the two countries.
President Ma commented that the NASS is a highly influential organization in the United States. Over the years, roughly two-thirds of America's states have inked sister state relationships with Taiwan. In addition, 17 states presently maintain offices in Taiwan to promote their products. Therefore, the president said he is extremely pleased to welcome the visitors to Taiwan. President Ma also noted that relations between Taiwan and the United States have improved significantly over the past year and that mutual trust is gradually being restored at the highest levels. In October of last year, Taiwan received approval from the United States to procure a package of defensive weapons, and the president has transited in the United States on both of the trips he has made to Latin America since his inauguration. During the brief stops, he met with over 10 senators and congresspersons, which demonstrates that strong relations continue between Taiwan and the United States.
The president stressed that in January of this year, the United States removed Taiwan from the Special 301 Watch List, indicating that the United States recognizes the work Taiwan has carried out to protect intellectual property rights. Presently, he said, we are working to achieve breakthroughs with the United States on three issues. Firstly, Taiwan hopes to sign an extradition treaty with the United States, enabling those suspected of criminal activity on Taiwan who have fled to the United States to be returned here. Secondly, Taiwan wants to participate in America's visa waiver program. The president said he hopes that the people of Taiwan will be able to travel to the United States for tourism without requiring visas. Lastly, Taiwan desires to sign a free trade agreement with the United States. Given that the United States is a major trading partner of Taiwan, it is expected that such an accord would further promote bilateral trade and economic relations, but President Ma said he realizes that this final objective will be more difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, the government will have patience and work to achieve it step by step, starting with the inking of a bilateral investment agreement, followed by an accord to prevent double taxation, he said.
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés, who is presently serving as NASS President, expressed his appreciation on behalf of the delegation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. He added that the NASS will continue to promote friendly relations between Taiwan and the United States. In the future, he said, the NASS hopes that each state will be involved in helping to promote educational, cultural and economic interaction between Taiwan and the United States, thereby strengthening cooperative bilateral relations.