President Ma Ying-jeou met with Mr. Gregory Paul Sheridan, the foreign editor of The Australian newspaper, at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of July 13. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome to Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan on their trip to Taiwan.
The president commented that relations between Taiwan and Australia are quite close. He stated that he has visited Australia many times and that Taipei City and Australia's Gold Coast City are sister cities. Bilateral trade in 2009 reached US$8.3 billion, making Taiwan Australia's 12th largest trading partner. In addition, about 10,000 students from Taiwan are studying in Australia. To date, Taiwan and Australia have signed nearly 30 memorandums of understanding covering a wide range of issues. These statistics point to the close and friendly relationship between the two nations, the president said.
President Ma noted that on April 1 of this year, Mr. Sheridan wrote an article in The Australian ("Send minister to Taiwan, senator challenges") reporting on an Australian senator's urging of the government there to value the strong relationship between Taiwan and Australia and resume the practice of allowing ministerial-level officials to visit Taiwan. President Ma said that Mr. Sheridan, as the foreign editor for Australia's largest paper, is extremely perceptive and grasps the importance of the bilateral relationship to both Taiwan and Australia. The president thanked Mr. Sheridan for covering this important point of view.
President Ma furthermore said that since taking office he has strived to improve cross-strait relations, reduce bilateral tensions, and promote regional peace. As a result, there has been a clear improvement in relations between Taiwan and nations in East Asia, North America, and Europe, as well as New Zealand and Australia. In addition, the president said that the ROC is conducting "flexible diplomacy" and has reformed its foreign aid policy such that, in carrying out foreign aid, Taiwan now emphasizes three principles: "our goals must be proper," "our procedures must be lawful," and "our implementation must be effective." This policy has already yielded considerable results, he said, explaining that not only are the ROC's alliances with its 23 diplomatic allies stable, but Taiwan has also been able to further develop relations with countries with which it does not maintain diplomatic ties. This has significantly increased Taiwan's operating room in the international community and strengthened relationships between Taiwan and the rest of the world, he said.
President Ma stressed that the diplomatic policies presently adopted by the ROC have won the support of the international community, which shows that we have taken the right path. He said he hopes in the future to build up Taiwan as a "peacemaker, a provider of international humanitarian assistance, and a creator of business opportunities," so that Taiwan will enjoy even more respect and support in the international community.
Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu.