President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of March 9 with Belgian Minister of State Mark Eyskens and Mrs. Eyskens. In addition to welcoming them on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president exchanged opinions with Minister Eyskens on cross-strait relations, East Asian trade and economic integration, and the development of green energy.
Noting that Minister Eyskens has served in the past as Belgium's Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Economic Affairs, the president recalled having met with him five years ago in Brussels. As one of Taiwan's best friends in Europe, the minister also chaired the parliamentary Taiwan Friendship Group for 10 years, the president said.
President Ma expressed his appreciation for the move by the European Union (EU) to include Taiwan in its visa-waiver program. This development carries historical significance for relations between Taiwan and the EU, and makes us optimistic about the future development of bilateral relations, he said. The president pointed to the example of the UK, which in February 2009 granted Taiwanese visa-free courtesies. The number of Taiwanese visiting the UK subsequently grew last year by 150% and bilateral trade increased by 25%. The EU's move to include Taiwan in its visa-waiver program is expected to boost the number of ROC nationals traveling to Europe by 20% from the current 310,000 annually. These numbers show how the granting of visa-free courtesies benefits both sides.
The president remarked that relations between Taiwan and the EU have developed rapidly in recent years. European companies have invested over US$28.6 billion in Taiwan and bilateral trade grew 31% last year to US$48.6 billion in comparison with the US$37 billion in 2009, making Europe one of the fastest growing sources of trade with Taiwan, he noted. Meanwhile, in the wake of the signing of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement last June, a number of countries have expressed hopes of strengthening cooperation with Taiwan. The president said he hopes the EU and Taiwan will have even closer economic and trade ties in the future.
President Ma also expressed his desire for strengthened cooperation between the two sides in energy conservation and carbon reduction. He stated that he hopes the EU will support Taiwan's participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In addition, Taiwan is an air cargo hub in the Asia-Pacific region, with planes carrying over 10 million passengers passing through the Taipei Flight Information Region each year, so the nation desires to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization, which would help to enhance international aviation safety.
Minister of State Eyskens and Mrs. Eyskens visited the Presidential Office in the morning to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu.