President Ma Ying-jeou met with Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Fadel Muhammad on the morning of July 9 at the Presidential Office. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome to Minister Fadel on his visit to Taiwan.
The president remarked that since taking office he has worked aggressively to improve relations with mainland China. Over the past two-plus years 14 agreements have been signed between Taiwan and mainland China, including the signing on June 29 of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and a cross-strait agreement for cooperation in the protection of intellectual property rights. These achievements are unprecedented in the past 60 years of cross-strait relations, he said, adding that improved ties have helped boost regional stability and peace while also reducing cross-strait tension.
President Ma commented that the signing of the ECFA has reduced pressures that other nations might otherwise face in conducting trade and economic ties with Taiwan. He stated that on July 8 he met with visitors from the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) and during the discussions PARLACEN President Jacinto Suárez Espinoza mentioned that any action that lends itself to world peace is welcomed by everyone. President Ma said that in the past, the ROC and Indonesia have been unable to effectively expand bilateral relations, but he is confident that the peripheral benefits of signing the ECFA will include the strengthening of cooperative trade and economic relations between Taiwan and Indonesia, and the promotion of even more investment by Taiwan companies in Indonesia.
The president stated that the ROC's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs are presently laying out plans for Taiwan's universities to provide more English-language curricula in an attempt to attract foreign students to study in Taiwan. He said that over 30 well-known Taiwan universities are expected to take part in a "Taiwan Higher Education Fair" to be held in Jakarta in October this year. Increasing the number of foreign students here would enhance the international flavor of Taiwan's higher education and would strengthen Taiwan's competitiveness, he said.
President Ma furthermore explained that the newly signed ECFA is significant not only for its ramifications in the economic sphere, but also as an effort by both sides of the Taiwan Strait to achieve the objective of peace. He said he is confident that this development is welcomed by all of East Asia and the world, and he pledged that Taiwan will continue to move forward in this direction.
Minister Fadel was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ssu-Tsun Shen to meet President Ma. Also sitting in on the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu.