President Ma Ying-jeou met with Mr. Randall G. Schriver, the head of a delegation of visiting US Republican Party foreign policy consultants, at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of February 4. The president expressed a warm welcome to Mr. Schriver and the delegation on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that two years ago he initiated efforts to improve cross-strait relations and reduce tension between the two sides. He said that he adopted a policy of focusing on economic issues first, followed by political issues later. This has not only helped to strengthen the mutual trust between the two sides, but also has improved Taiwan's relations with the United States, Japan, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, and nations throughout southern Asia.
The president said that he is pleased by the continuation of the security arrangement between Taiwan and the United States. In addition, he noted that the US Congress last month formally gave the nod to the sale of US$6.4 billion worth of defensive arms to Taiwan, demonstrating that America's policies with regards to its relations with Taiwan transcend partisan politics in the United States.
President Ma said that while Taiwan and mainland China are developing a closer relationship, Taiwan still looks to the United States to provide support to help it defend itself. This is important as it helps to bolster the sense of security and self-confidence among the people of Taiwan. These are fundamental elements needed as Taiwan engages in more complex interaction and negotiations with mainland China down the road.
The president said that over the past year, relations between the government here and the United States have been moving in the right direction. In addition, mutual trust, stability and frequent contacts are features of the relationship. He said he hopes that the visitors on this trip to Taiwan are able to engage in contact with various sectors and exchange opinions with them on the development of Taiwan-US relations. This will enable the bilateral relationship to continue to move forward, he said.
Mr. Schriver expressed his appreciation on behalf of the group to President Ma for taking time out of his schedule to meet with them. He also said that the group is meeting with many people on this trip. In addition to witnessing the successful development of democracy in Taiwan, they are also seeing the various challenges facing Taiwan. He said they hope that both sides in the future are able to achieve a greater understanding on an array of issues, thereby helping to pave the way for further development of Taiwan-US relations.