President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of August 24. During the meeting, the president expressed his hopes that the two sides will promote further interaction and contact among the people of the two nations.
The president remarked that annual trade between Taiwan and Canada stands at US$3.9 billion and that Taiwan is Canada's 13th largest trading partner overall and its fourth largest trading partner in Asia, an indication of the close substantive relations between the two sides. In addition, some 150,000 people from Taiwan each year visit Canada for tourism and 2,500 students from Taiwan study there. The two sides in April of this year signed a working holiday agreement that increases from 300 to 700 the number of people who can take part in the program. This demonstrates the close and friendly ties between the two peoples, he said.
President Ma commented that over two years ago when he was elected president, he received a message of congratulations from Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon. Meanwhile, last year when Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly as an observer, Canada issued a statement expressing its welcome. This, he said, shows that the two countries share the core values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, and human rights. The president also expressed his deepest appreciation for Canada's support for meaningful participation by Taiwan in international organizations and activities.
The president furthermore stated that since taking office he has continuously sought to improve relations with mainland China in order to reduce tension in the Taiwan Strait. Presently, Taiwan and mainland China have signed 14 agreements, including the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. Most importantly, he said, while the relations between Taiwan and mainland China are improving, Taiwan's relationships with Japan, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asian nations are also strengthening.
President Ma mentioned that Member of Parliament Earl Dreeshen previously worked as a high school mathematics teacher for 34 years and educated countless students. After his retirement, he became involved in politics and has come to serve as a voice of the people, becoming one of Canada's most important parliamentarian. Meanwhile, President Ma remarked that Member of Parliament Pierre Lemieux is now serving in his second term and has an enormous amount of experience in the political arena. He previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages and Deputy Government Whip, and now serves as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture. President Ma said that the objective of their visit to Taiwan is to exchange opinions with members of the Legislative Yuan and related government agencies, hoping to further develop relations between the two sides.
The Canadian parliamentary delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Deputy Foreign Minister Lyushun Shen to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu.