President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of January 7 attended a reception in celebration of the ROC's inclusion in the Schengen visa waiver program. President Ma, along with Premier Wu Den-yih, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang, and Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taipei Guy Ledoux, jointly participated in a ceremony to mark the ROC's entry into the program.
In remarks to the gathering, the president announced that Croatia has agreed to provide visa-free courtesies to ROC nationals visiting that nation, which brings the number of countries to which people from Taiwan can travel visa-free to 97. These nations represent 94% of the countries most frequently visited by ROC nationals, he said.
President Ma remarked that the ROC's inclusion in the Schengen visa waiver program will take effect on January 11, which he said happens to be an important date in history for the ROC. On January 11, 1943, the ROC abolished the unequal treaties that had been in effect since the 1842 Opium War. The ROC on that day in Chongqing signed documents with the United States and the United Kingdom that abolished extraterritoriality of nationals of those countries in the ROC. This restored judicial independence and was an important development for the ROC, which at the time was in the sixth year of the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945), he explained, and the populace rejoiced in finally being freed from the shackles that had lasted for a century.
The president added that Taiwan's embrace of democracy, freedom, and cross-strait peace has reduced hurdles that might have stood in the way of obtaining visa-free treatment. This also proves that the government's implementation of the policy of flexible diplomacy has been welcomed internationally and has yielded concrete results. Consequently, the people of the ROC enjoy dignity because the nation receives respect. President Ma said he hopes our people will cherish the visa-free treatment and behave around the world in a manner that reflects well on Taiwan.
President Ma also pointed to the benefits seen following the UK's decision to include Taiwan in its visa waiver program. He noted that the number of ROC tourists to the UK has risen by 106% and bilateral trade has grown by 20-30%. He added that he is confident that the ROC's inclusion in the Schengen visa waiver program will help to boost substantive relations between the two sides. The president also expressed his hopes that even more nations will provide visa-free treatment to ROC nationals in the future, which will help to promote bilateral relations and win greater breathing room for the ROC in the international community.