President Ma Ying-jeou met with the 2010 recipients of the Asia Pacific Journalism Fellowships at the Presidential Office on the morning of May 7. The program is operated under the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Besides extending a warm welcome to Taiwan on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president described the stable development of three-way relations among Taiwan, the United States, and mainland China. President Ma said he hopes the American journalists will make the most of their journalistic expertise and knowledge of Asian issues on this trip to further their understanding of the current state of relations between Taiwan and other nations.
President Ma commented that the biggest challenge he has had to face since taking office two years ago has been the global financial tsunami and economic recession. He said that the government has spent considerable time in adjusting its economic policies, stabilizing the financial situation here, and boosting employment. After 18 months, Taiwan's economy has begun to show gradual recovery, he said, adding that he hopes that the strength of the recovery this year will improve upon last year's performance.
The president said that one important policy plank of his campaign for the presidency was his intention to improve Taiwan's status in the international community and avoid becoming isolated or marginalized. President Ma stated that the key problem comes from mainland China, so since assuming the presidency he has aggressively worked to improve relations with mainland China. Over the past two years, Taiwan has signed 12 agreements with the mainland covering such matters as direct cross-strait flights, entry of mainland Chinese tourists into Taiwan, food safety, cooperation in the fisheries industry, and mutual judicial assistance, he said. President Ma pointed out that these agreements have gradually institutionalized cross-strait relations. At the same time, the warming of cross-strait ties has reduced tension in the Taiwan Strait. He said that this has proven beneficial to regional stability and improved Taiwan's relations with Japan, the United States, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asian nations, which he is pleased to see.
President Ma furthermore stated that the ROC maintains stable ties with its 23 diplomatic allies, and has joined the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. Meanwhile, last year Taiwan participated in the World Health Assembly and will take part again this year, he said. All of these breakthroughs, the president stated, are goals that eluded the nation for over three decades. The president commented that on another front, the ROC last year ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). This was an important step in promoting Taiwan's internationalization and bringing the protection of human rights in Taiwan in line with international standards, he said. Also, Taiwan hopes that by signing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with mainland China and participating in economic integration in Asia, it can avoid being marginalized.
President Ma stressed that Taiwan has urged mainland China to join with it in a diplomatic truce so that the two sides can cease their wasteful efforts to lure away each other's diplomatic allies. The president said that in implementing foreign aid, Taiwan's policy is to seek proper goals, act lawfully, and exercise effective administration. Over the past two years, he said, the methods now embraced by Taiwan have won the trust of quite a few countries, and the nation is no longer branded as a practitioner of “checkbook diplomacy”. President Ma remarked that the nation's diplomatic policies emphasize flexibility, upstanding conduct, and the provision of humanitarian aid. He pointed out that rescue and relief teams from Taiwan were among the first on the ground in Haiti after the devastating earthquake that shook that nation in January. The president said that we will continue with this work, as we want Taiwan to be a respected nation.
Lastly, the president mentioned that Ms. Chen Shu-chu, who lives in Taitung and sells vegetables, was recently selected by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential heroes, and the government provided her assistance so she could go to the United States to receive the award. He said that Ms. Chen embodies the core values of Taiwan, specifically integrity, kindness, diligence, honesty, enterprising spirit, and tolerance. These principles serve as the foundation of a nation, he said.
Journalists in the delegation included Howard Schneider, International Economics Desk Correspondent for The Washington Post, Nisid Hajari, Managing Editor for Newsweek, Susan Lisocivz, former Correspondent for CNN, Sandy Hausman, Branch Bureau Chief for Virginia Public Radio, Dee DePass, Business Reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Jim Wasserman, Senior Business Writer at The Sacramento Bee. The delegation of journalists was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Association of Taiwan Journalists Chairman Yang Wei-chung to meet President Ma. Also in attendance were National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General John C. C. Deng, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chien-min Chao, Government Information Office Chief Secretary Joseph Chen, and Harry H. J. Tseng, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of North American Affairs.