President Ma Ying-jeou met with Congressman Howard Berman, Chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, at the Presidential Office on the morning of August 21. The president extended a cordial welcome to Congressman Berman and expressed his appreciation to him for visiting.
The president commented that he and Congressman Berman have known each other for many years. President Ma said that when he transited in Los Angeles, California last year and this year, he and Congressman Berman spoke over the phone on each occasion. Congressman Berman, he remarked, is extremely interested in Taiwan's development, and he also closely follows the administration of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). This year marks the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the TRA, he said, adding that Congressman Berman raised a joint resolution in the House of Representatives that called for the United States to fulfill its pledges under the TRA and help maintain Taiwan's security. President Ma said that the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan) are grateful for Congressman Berman's efforts in this regard.
President Ma furthermore said that when he spoke with Congressman Berman over the phone during a transit stop in Los Angeles on August 12 last year, cross-strait relations were just beginning to take a turn for the better. Besides the holding of the first round of negotiations between Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, and Chen Yunlin, chairman of mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, the government was gradually promoting the commencement of charter flights between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait during weekends, as well as introducing measures that would allow for mainland Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan. At the time, Congressman Berman mentioned his concerns for Taiwan's security and also expressed his support for the reform in the policies adopted by Taiwan with regards to mainland China. One year later, when he spoke again with Congressman Berman, the congressman further affirmed his support for the efforts made over the past year to improve relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, ease cross-strait tensions and foster the development of peace.
President Ma said that the improvement of cross-strait relations has helped simplify the relationship between Taiwan and the United States in the area of security. He said that last year at a time when cross-strait ties were improving, the United States decided to approve the sale of a package of arms to Taiwan. Under the policy of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force," we are able to concurrently maintain good relations with the United States and mainland China, he said, leading to the possibility of paving the way for win-win or win-win-win relationships between all sides, he said.
The president also pointed out that Congressman Berman is a highly influential member of the House of Representatives. His visit to Taiwan at this time is highly significant, and it attests that the improvement in cross-strait relations has helped mutual trust to be restored between Taiwan and the United States, he said. President Ma added that quite a few American scholars believe that this is the best moment in cross-strait ties and in relations between Taiwan, the United States and mainland China in the past 60 years.
With regards to the worst flooding in Taiwan in the past 50 years caused by Typhoon Morakot, President Ma said the United States military, based on humanitarian considerations, has mobilized helicopters to assist in rescue operations here. This marks an important signal and symbol of the resumption of mutual trust between the two sides, he said. President Ma also on behalf of the people of Taiwan thanked the United States government for adopting an innovative method in providing assistance to Taiwan.
Congressman Berman expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He also stated his concern for the serious damage in southern Taiwan resulting from Typhoon Morakot. He said he hopes that the joint efforts of the government and private groups will enable those whose lives have been uprooted due to the disaster to regain normalcy as soon as possible.