President Ma Ying-jeou met with US Congressman James Sensenbrenner, Jr., ranking Republican on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, at the Presidential Office on the morning of February 17. The president extended a cordial welcome to Congressman and Mrs. Sensenbrenner on their trip to Taiwan during the Lunar New Year holiday.
The president noted that Congressman Sensenbrenner has long been a good friend to Taiwan. He previously visited Taiwan in 2000 and 2003, and has been an advocate of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) as well as the sale of arms to Taiwan. Representative Sensenbrenner was also involved in the drafting of the TRA, the president commented. President Ma remarked that the US administration on January 29 approved the sale of a US$6.4 billion package of arms to Taiwan. The United States government had a legal obligation to make this sale, which is in accordance with the TRA, he said, adding that the arms will help to safeguard Taiwan and to promote cross-strait reconciliation and dialogue. In this regard, the president expressed his appreciation on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan).
The president furthermore stated that since taking office he has adopted many steps to improve relations between Taiwan and mainland China. Negotiations between the two sides resumed after a lapse of 10 years. Over the past 20 months, he said, the two sides have signed 12 agreements and reached one consensus, indicating a warming of ties. In addition, the number of contacts between the two sides has also increased significantly. This shows that the Taiwan Strait is gradually casting off the shadow of war. Furthermore, reconciliation between the two sides is also beneficial with regards to Taiwan's international relations. The president said that he hopes Taiwan will rebuild the mutual trust with the United States, Japan, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. President Ma also stressed that the decision of arms sale to Taiwan from the United States has helped establish confidence and a sense of security among the government and people of Taiwan, enabling the nation to engage in further reconciliation with mainland China.
President Ma remarked that prior to his presidency, the only cross-strait transportation links were a smattering of charter flights during major holidays. Today, however, 270 flights connect cities on either side of the Taiwan Strait each week, and the number of flights increases to 340 during the Lunar New Year holiday period. Last year, the president said, 600,000 tourists from mainland China visited Taiwan, and 40,000 are spending the new year holiday in Taiwan this year. These are important indicators of the rapprochement between the two sides, he said. Besides aiding in mutual understanding, these increased contacts show that differences should be addressed in a peaceful manner rather than through force.
President Ma stressed that the strong and stable security arrangement between Taiwan and the United States plays an important role in helping to forge an environment of reconciliation in the Taiwan Strait. As Taiwan acquires needed defensive weaponry from the United States, the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan) are working to defend the security of the nation. The president said that various avenues are being used to address differences between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in a peaceful manner.
The president said that Taiwan and mainland China this year will negotiate an economic cooperation framework agreement. This arrangement will help to institutionalize the over NT$100 billion of trade between the two sides, protect the interests of Taiwan companies, and safeguard intellectual property rights. At the same time, it will maintain Taiwan's sovereignty and protect the interests of its people, especially laborers and farmers, he said.
President Ma said he hopes that Congressman Sensenbrenner's visit to Taiwan will enable the United States to fully understand Taiwan's policies and its desire to continue to maintain friendly relations with the US. This is important to stability in the Asia-Pacific as well as the world, he said. In addition, he said he hopes that in his capacity as ranking Republican on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, Congressman Sensenbrenner will support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The president also said that Taiwan hopes in the future to sign an extradition treaty with the United States and to participate in the US visa waiver program.
Congressman Sensenbrenner expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He said that the United States places emphasis on and hopes to maintain friendly relations with Taiwan and is happy to see Taiwan be an active participant in international organizations. However, he noted that more discussions will need to be held with regards to the extradition treaty and visa waiver program issues.