President Ma Ying-jeou met with United States Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez at the Presidential Office on the morning of April 10. The president, on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, expressed a cordial welcome to Congresswoman Sanchez on her visit to Taiwan.
The president noted that Congresswoman Sanchez is the Chair of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House's Armed Services Committee. This is her second visit to Taiwan, having first traveled here in April 2001. The president remarked that she is also a member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus. And last year she not only participated in events marking the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, but also was part of a House resolution expressing concern for Taiwan after the island suffered heavy damage caused by Typhoon Morakot in early August. President Ma said the people of Taiwan appreciate the friendship of Congresswoman Sanchez and the United States, and these gestures also constitute a force driving relations between the two countries forward.
President Ma said that he has strived to re-establish mutual trust between Taiwan and the United States since taking office. He added that he has also sought to improve relations across the Taiwan Strait. He is extremely grateful for the decisions by the US government over the past two years to approve its arms sales to Taiwan, which demonstrates the goodwill of the United States. These actions also give us greater self-confidence and willingness to further improve cross-strait relations.
The president stressed that the policies embraced by his government seek to foster a virtuous circle, not only improving relations between Taiwan and mainland China, but also at the same time strengthening ties between Taiwan and the United States, Japan, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. This is creating a win-win situation for all parties involved, he said. Besides strengthening cooperation in the area of security, the president expressed his hopes that Taiwan and the United States in the future will sign an extradition agreement, implement visa-free courtesies for Taiwanese travelers to the United States, and resume negotiations on a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). President Ma stated that with the re-establishment of mutual trust between Taiwan and the United States, bilateral relations have improved further. Even though there was minor friction over imports of US beef, this dispute was quickly settled thanks to the efforts of both sides. He said he trusts that bilateral relations in the future will be even friendlier and exhibit a higher degree of maturity.
Congresswoman Sanchez expressed her appreciation on behalf of the US government for Taiwan's provision of humanitarian assistance to Haiti. At the same time, she applauded the positive developments in cross-strait relations, as well as the efforts by the government here to root out corruption. President Ma reiterated Taiwan's appreciation to the United States for its longstanding support and friendship. He also said he hopes that in the future, besides strengthening cooperation in the area of regional security, the United States will continue to assist Taiwan to enter international organizations and expand its participation in the international community.
Congresswoman Sanchez was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Vice Foreign Minister Lyushun Shen to meet President Ma. Also in attendance was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ho Szu-yin.