President Ma Ying-jeou met with American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt at the Presidential Office on the morning of June 4. The two exchanged opinions on a broad range of issues, including Taiwan-US trade and security topics, as well as the development of cross-strait ties.
President Ma remarked that he last met with Chairman Burghardt towards the end of March when he made a transit stop in Guam during a visit to the ROC's allies in the South Pacific. The two exchanged opinions on Taiwan-US relations, he said, adding that since taking office he has made 10 transit stops in the United States. Chairman Burghardt has personally welcomed him on eight of these occasions and provided him assistance, which he deeply appreciates.
President Ma stated that the United States and mainland China recently held the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and that the ROC hopes to understand the content of the talks. The president commented that Taiwan-US relations have developed in a stable manner since he was inaugurated and that mutual trust has been restored at the highest levels. Over the past year, he said, Taiwan and mainland China have continuously engaged in talks. In particular, since the fourth round of talks between P.K. Chiang, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), and Chen Yunlin, chairman of mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), negotiations have focused on the signing of an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). The president said he hopes that the pact can be signed this month. The ECFA will first go to the Executive Yuan for approval, after which it will be forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for deliberations. Prior to the deliberations, the government will publicly disclose the entire content of the ECFA so that the public can understand it, he said.
President Ma specially expressed his appreciation to the United States for helping Taiwan to take part in international organizations and activities. For instance, at last month's World Health Assembly in Geneva the ROC's Minister of Health Chih-liang Yaung and the American Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) held bilateral talks. In addition, the United States views Taiwan's interest in participating in other international organizations, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in a positive light, he pointed out.
The president noted, however, that there are a number of issues that require more effort by both sides, including resumption of talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between Taiwan and the United States. The president also said the ROC hopes the United States will sell Taiwan F16 C/D series jet fighters, which would enable Taiwan to retire older warplanes and help to maintain its self-defense ability. Taiwan also seeks to sign an extradition agreement between the two nations and desires to be included in the visa waiver program. President Ma said he hopes that the US side will provide assistance in addressing these issues.
President Ma mentioned that in an interview with CNN on April 30, he said that the Taiwan issue in the past was a security matter for the United States. However, the situation in the Taiwan Strait over the past two years is the best that it has been in the past 60 years. Consequently, while Taiwan will still continue to purchase weapons from the United States, it at the same time will work to reduce tension in cross-strait relations. Taiwan, he said, will not ask the Americans to fight for it. President Ma stressed that these remarks triggered quite a bit of discussion. He said that his intention was to clearly express Taiwan's determination to defend itself, enabling others to understand that this conforms to the spirit of the Taiwan Relations Act. It also demonstrates to the world Taiwan's self confidence and willingness to not only defend itself, but also reduce tension in the Taiwan Strait and avoid a regional conflict.
Chairman Burghardt stated that this visit happens to come on the heels of the second joint meeting of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing. The primary focus of this year's dialogue was on security issues, and in particular issues regarding North Korea and Iran. He said that little time was spent discussing issues related to Taiwan; however, the United States clearly expressed during the meetings its stance that its sale of arms to Taiwan is extremely important to maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait. It also views the Taiwan Relations Act as the cornerstone in maintaining security and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
With regard to the comments made by President Ma in the CNN interview, Chairman Burghardt said that when he was interviewed in Hong Kong at the end of April, he stated that the commitments of the United States under the Taiwan Relations Act remain unchanged. The Taiwan Relations Act, he noted, is very clear as to how the United States would act in the event of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, he said, communications between Taiwan and the United States are quite smooth. He expressed his confidence that each side will be able to immediately understand the opinions of the other and respond well to any urgent situation.
Chairman Burghardt was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Director of the Taipei Office of AIT William Stanton to meet President Ma. Also in attendance was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu and Deputy Foreign Minister Lyushun Shen.