President Ma Ying-jeou met with American Congressman Phil Gingrey, Co-Chair of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus, at the Presidential Office on the morning of August 6. The president extended a cordial welcome to Congressman Gingrey and expressed appreciation for his visit.
The president commented that Congressman Gingrey is an extremely senior member of the House of Representatives and is one of the ROC's most loyal friends in the US Congress. He, along with other members of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus who recently visited Taiwan, including Congresswoman Shelley Berkley and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, signed the 55th Joint Resolution of the House of Representatives reiterating key principles of the Taiwan Relations Act, such as concern for Taiwan's security and providing Taiwan with defensive weaponry. The resolution was made to mark the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).
President Ma furthermore stated that on April 12 he delivered a speech at a conference in Taipei commemorating the 30th anniversary of the TRA. Congressman Gingrey entered key points from his speech into the US Congressional Record. In addition to helping other congressmen understand Taiwan, this marked a substantive move demonstrating Congressional support for the TRA, which the president said was extremely meaningful.
President Ma also remarked that he was delighted that Congressman Gingrey placed a call to him when he was leading a delegation to diplomatic allies in Central America and was transiting in the United States. The president said this gesture exhibited the deep friendship that Congressman Gingrey has for Taiwan. President Ma said that over the past year, mutual trust has returned in relations between the ROC (Taiwan) and the United States. A major reason for this is that we have undertaken a number of measures to improve cross-strait relations, enabling signs of peace to emerge between the two sides. This has made relations between Taiwan and the United States much less complex, which the American side is pleased to see, he said. Over the past year, President Ma said, American visitors have virtually all spoken in the same vein regarding their support for the measures adopted by the administration here, as they have reduced tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and led to greater regional stability. This development has benefited the United States, Japan, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asian nations in the pursuit of their global strategies. In other words, he said, the improvement in cross-strait relations is advantageous to everyone.
Congressman Gingrey expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He said that his primary objective on this visit is to exchange opinions on a broad range of issues with people here and to further understand the nation's political and economic development, as well as related policies. He also stressed that he will continue to support Taiwan.