President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of June 29 met with a delegation led by William Perry, former US Defense Secretary and currently Co-director of the Preventive Defense Project. In addition to expressing his hope that Taiwan will be included in the US Visa-Waiver Program, the president also described to the guests his concept of the three lines of defense for Taiwan, which he said is crucial to Taiwan's security.
The president remarked that 116 jurisdictions now provide ROC nationals with visa-free courtesies or landing visas, but the United States is one of a handful of nations that has yet to do so. The United States is an important friend and ally of Taiwan, he commented, adding that around 400,000 people from Taiwan make visits to the United States annually. Now that Taiwan has met the visa waiver preconditions set forth by the US Department of Homeland Security, President Ma said he hopes to see Taiwan included in the program. He pointed to the UK as an example of how providing visa-free courtesies has helped to boost the number of Taiwanese visiting that nation and sparked growth in bilateral trade volume. He said he is confident that the number of Taiwanese visiting the United States will exceed the annual 400,000 if Taiwan is included in the program.
The president then discussed the concept of Taiwan's three lines of defense, namely, institutionalizing cross-strait relations, increasing Taiwan's involvement in international economic, humanitarian, and cultural matters, and aligning Taiwan's defense with diplomacy. In terms of the institutionalization of cross-strait relations, the president noted that immediately upon taking office in May 2008 he sought the resumption of institutionalized negotiations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. These talks have yielded the opening of direct flights between the two sides, the decision to allow mainland Chinese to visit Taiwan, and the signing of 15 cross-strait agreements. Ties between Taiwan and mainland China are the closest they have been in 60 years. For instance, the number of cross-strait flights is being increased from 370 weekly to 558, and over the past three years more than three million mainlanders have visited Taiwan. In addition, on June 28 Taiwan began allowing free independent travelers to enter Taiwan from the mainland. Moreover, in September of this year, students from mainland China will formally begin studying here for two- and four-year degrees. The enthusiasm for cross-strait cultural exchanges is unprecedented, said the president, who described this as the most important of the three lines of defense. The promotion of exchanges and interaction between the two sides establishes a framework for shared peace and prosperity, he explained, adding that any move to unilaterally change this framework would exact a high price upon the side that attempts to do so.
With regard to increased participation by Taiwan in international economic, humanitarian, and cultural matters, the president mentioned that reconciliation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is helping Taiwan to expand its involvement in the international community. The president cited the example of Taiwan attending the World Health Assembly (WHA) for three consecutive years as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei." In addition, its representation has been raised to the ministerial level. President Ma also stated that Taiwan desires to participate in activities of the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Involvement in these organizations has a close bearing upon the well-being of Taiwan's citizenry, and Taiwan hopes in the future to expand its participation in non-governmental international organizations that focus on the lives of ordinary people.
Lastly, in terms of the alignment of defense with diplomacy, the president reiterated Taiwan's determination to be able to defend itself. He pointed out that there are some arms that Taiwan cannot produce itself. Aging equipment, moreover, needs to be replaced. Mainland China's military budget has increased greatly over the past decade, and the military balance in the Taiwan Strait is shifting in favor of mainland China. All of these factors, said the president, are reasons for Taiwan to continue seeking to acquire F-16C/D fighter jets from the United States. These planes would help to strengthen Taiwan's defensive capabilities, he said.
President Ma specially expressed his appreciation for the move by US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to convene a press conference during this year's WHA, where she stated that no United Nations-affiliated organization can unilaterally decide Taiwan's status. Her move came in response to the World Health Organization referring to us as "Taiwan, China" in internal documents. The president expressed his hope that relations between the two countries will continue to progress.
The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Defense Minister Dr. Andrew N.D. Yang (楊念祖) and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ssu-Tsun Shen (沈斯淳) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ko Kuang-yueh (葛光越).