President Ma Ying-jeou met with William Stanton, the new Director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of September 1. The president extended a cordial welcome to Director Stanton on his arrival in Taiwan to assume his new post.
The president remarked that Director Stanton is a very senior American diplomat who has been posted in a number of countries, and that it is highly significant that at this important moment he has been dispatched to Taiwan to head the Taipei office of AIT. Even though the two nations severed diplomatic relations 30 years ago, many friends of the ROC (Taiwan) in the American Congress worked to enact the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the president said. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the TRA, which has been instrumental not only in ensuring Taiwan's security, but also in helping to settle various issues that arose following the severance of diplomatic relations. President Ma commented that many American scholars and experts have expressed their belief that the TRA has been a successful piece of legislation.
President Ma told Director Stanton that since his inauguration he sought to improve cross-strait relations and restore mutual trust between Taiwan and the United States, particularly at the highest levels. The efforts made by Taiwan with regards to cross-strait relations have helped to reduce tension in the Taiwan Strait, he said.
President Ma stated that while the government on the one hand has sought to bolster cross-strait relations, it has been working at the same time to strike a balance by improving its relations with the United States, Japan and the European Union. Over the past year, he said, we have gradually realized that this type of equilibrium is to the benefit of all sides.
The president said that with Director Stanton taking up his new post, Taiwan and the United States can exchange opinions on a range of issues of shared interest. These include the import of American beef, which is something that concerns the United States, as well as topics that interest Taiwan, such as an extradition treaty, visa-free courtesies for Taiwan visitors to the United States, and the signing of a free trade agreement. Discussions will enable both sides to forge a greater consensus on these topics, he said.
With regards to the serious damage caused to southern Taiwan by Typhoon Morakot, President Ma expressed his deepest gratitude on behalf of the government and people to the United States for providing helicopters and goods to aid in the rescue effort, as well as a donation of US$250,000.
President Ma commented that relations between Taiwan and the United States are stable and there is great hope that bilateral relations will become even stronger, he said. The president also said that an improvement in relations between the United States and mainland China is in the interest of Taiwan, while strengthening of ties between Taiwan and mainland China is in the interest of the United States. American scholars who came to Taiwan earlier this year to attend a conference marking the 30th anniversary of the TRA mentioned that the trilateral relationship between Taiwan, the United States and mainland China has never been better in the past 60 years, and that everyone hopes that this trend will continue.