President Ma Ying-jeou met with former United States Senator Alfonse D'Amato at the Presidential Office on the morning of March 18 and expressed a warm welcome to Mr. D'Amato on his visit to Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that former Senator D'Amato was a tremendous friend to Taiwan when he was in the Senate, acting as a strong supporter of the Taiwan Relations Act and making many efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries. The president noted that Mr. D'Amato previously visited Taiwan in 2006. At that time, the president was still Taipei City Mayor and the two held discussions then. The president said that even though Mr. D'Amato has retired from government service, he still is clearly sparing no effort to support the ROC.
The president said that 15 years ago when he served as Justice Minister, then President Lee Teng-hui visited the United States and the warm welcome extended by Senator D'Amato made a deep impression on him.
The purpose of this visit by Mr. D'Amato is to inaugurate the opening of a branch of his firm, Park Strategies, in Taiwan. President Ma said that the decision to set up a branch here was the correct one, as the government hopes to build Taiwan into a global center for innovation and an economic and trade hub in the Asia-Pacific. The president stated that he has moved in this direction since taking office. In the wake of the improvement in relations between Taiwan and mainland China, direct flights between the two sides have started. In the future, he said, charter flights will be commenced between Taipei and Tokyo. Meanwhile, deregulation and reconstruction have provided a freer environment for Taiwan enterprises freer. All of these initiatives, he said, have been undertaken to help Taiwan become a regional springboard. The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei has repeatedly urged Taiwan to move in this direction, and this also corresponds to the viewpoint of Mr. D'Amato, he said.
President Ma expressed his appreciation the senator for his longstanding support for Taiwan. He added that it is this type of resolute friendship that has given us greater confidence and security in forging stronger relations with mainland China.
Former Senator D'Amato expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He also stated his desire to make even more efforts to support Taiwan.