President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of August 25 with Congressman Gerald Connolly, co-chair of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus, and James Walkinshaw, chief of staff for Congressman Connolly. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to the visitors.
President Ma remarked that since taking office in May 2008 he has met with three other co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus: Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, and Congressman Phil Gingrey. He said that he is delighted to have this opportunity today to meet with Congressman Connolly face-to-face for the first time. President Ma stated that he previously spoke with Congressman Connolly over the phone during a transit stop he made in San Francisco in January 2010. It was during that discussion that President Ma invited Congressman Connolly to visit Taiwan. The president said he is extremely touched that Congressman Connolly has finally arrived. In the past, the congressman has visited Taiwan over 20 times and has a good understanding of the situation here, the president noted, adding that this visit is especially significant because this year marks the nation's centennial.
The president stated that Congressman Connolly is a staunch friend of the ROC and has actively supported the ROC on many occasions in the House of Representatives. The Congressional Taiwan Caucus, he said, now has 150 members and frequently supports bills friendly to the ROC. For instance, the House of Representatives in March 2009 passed House Concurrent Resolution 55 to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. A total of 125 House members signed their names to this resolution. In July 2010, the House passed House Concurrent Resolution 266 supporting Taiwan's participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization as an observer, with 104 House members signing their names to this document. The president said in May of the same year, 136 House members signed their names to a letter forwarded to President Barack Obama urging the US administration to sell Taiwan F-16C/D fighter jets, while on August 1 of this year 181 representatives signed another letter to President Obama again in support of the sale.
President Ma furthermore noted that when mainland Chinese leader Hu Jintao visited the United States early this year, Congressman Connolly was one of four co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus to send a letter to President Obama on January 12 urging that the interests of the ROC should not be sacrificed during interaction between the United States and mainland China. On June 16, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing entitled "Why Taiwan Matters," which advocated the sale of the advanced fighter jets to Taiwan, the president noted. Meanwhile, on July 21 during deliberations on the 2011 Foreign Relations Authorization Act, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee Chairman Howard Berman jointly proposed an amendment supporting the sale of F-16C/D fighter jets to the ROC, which was passed at the committee level. President Ma expressed his deepest gratitude to Congressman Connolly for his consistent efforts to support the ROC and his concern for our nation's security and wellbeing.
President Ma also mentioned that in the more than three years that he has been in office, he has made every effort to improve cross-strait relations and reduce tension in the Taiwan Strait. These initiatives have enhanced regional security and won public praise and support from President Obama and US government officials, he pointed out. To date, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have completed six rounds of negotiations, helping to gradually normalize the complex relationship between the two sides, and it is because of this work that the ROC is enjoying greater room for participation in the international community. President Ma stressed that the ROC abides by the "no surprises, low key" approach to relations with the United States. Mutual trust exists at the highest levels on both sides, he remarked, adding that relations between the two countries continue to improve. The president expressed his desire to see concrete progress in negotiations between the two sides under their bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, inclusion of Taiwan in the US Visa Waiver Program, and talks on a bilateral extradition agreement. He also said he hopes the US Congress will continue to provide the most resolute support to the ROC.
The guests were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Foreign Minister Lyushun Shen (沈呂巡) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu (劉志攻).