President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians at the Presidential Office on the morning of July 8. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome to the delegation on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma commented that a number of Canadians, including Canada's foreign minister and prime minister, sent their congratulations on his inauguration two years ago. The president said that he would like to reiterate his deepest appreciation for those gestures. He added that relations between Taiwan and Canada have steadily improved in recent years, and that relations in the fields of trade and education are especially close. For instance, many students from Taiwan pursue studies in Canada, and bilateral cultural ties are also strong. Moreover, the president said that his wife Chow Mei-ching earlier this year accompanied the internationally renowned Cloud Gate dance troupe to Canada and took advantage of the opportunity to meet with many Canadian friends. One of the persons she met with during her trip was Member of Parliament Andrew Saxton, who is heading up this delegation, he said.
The president said that he has visited Canada many times over the past 20 years and has been impressed by the vastness of the nation as well as the friendliness of its people. He said the ROC is very willing to develop even closer bilateral relations with Canada. President Ma noted that both Taipei and Toronto were seriously impacted by the outbreak of SARS in 2003, and on a subsequent visit to Toronto he learned quite a bit in meeting with counterparts there and exchanging experiences on how the outbreak was handled. In addition, the president said that Canada's Bombardier took part in construction of the Wenhu line of the Taipei mass rapid transit system, which points to the close interactions between the two nations.
Parliamentarian Saxton thanked President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with the delegation. He also stated that he hopes to exchange opinions on a broad range of issues with many people during his stay here, and said he expects this will enhance the cooperative relationship between the two sides.
The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Deputy Foreign Minister Lyushun Shen and National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu to meet President Ma.