President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of October 17 hosted the fifth in a series of press conferences at the Presidential Office to explain his eight visions for a "golden decade" for Taiwan. During this press conference, the president further elaborated upon the seventh and eighth visions, namely cross-strait peace and friendly relations with the international community. The president also provided a final summary of his blueprint.
The president reiterated that over the past three-plus years since he took office in May 2008, his administration has sought to maintain the status quo between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait via the "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" policy. This, he said, has been carried out under the framework of the ROC Constitution. This approach upholds the sovereignty of the ROC and safeguards Taiwan's ability to decide its own affairs, and at the same time it promotes the people's wellbeing. Over the next 10 years, the president will continue working to consolidate the sovereignty of the ROC, build up Taiwan's strength, take cross-strait relations in a positive direction, and establish long-term peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. These will constitute the main policy focuses in the government's conduct of cross-strait relations, he said.
In providing a summary to his blueprint, the president remarked that over the past three-plus years, the joint efforts made by the public and the government have resulted in accomplishments that few would have thought possible in the past. In particular, he said, even though the viewpoints of the ruling and the opposition parties are different and the government has come under criticism at times, this is the normal state of democracy. President Ma stated that he truly hopes that the public realizes he is willing and ready to do his best for the nation, and that he is willing to devote the rest of his life to this land and its people to create a better living environment for future generations.
The following is the content of the president's remarks:
Today is the final press conference on the "Golden Decade, National Visions" blueprint. Today I will discuss the last two visions—cross-strait peace and friendly relations with the international community. "Cross-strait peace" includes "cross-strait relations" and "national defense and security." "Friendly relations with the international community" includes every level of the ROC's foreign relations.
The issues of "cross-strait relations" and "national defense and security" constitute the core focuses of this government’s work. The single most important reason why we've been able to talk at such length over the past month about the "Golden Decade, National Visions" blueprint is that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are at peace, a situation that we've been able to achieve precisely because we have the confidence to pursue peaceful cross-strait relations. Cross-strait peace is a necessary precondition to development in other areas.
Over the past three-plus years, under the framework of the ROC Constitution, we have promoted the status quo between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait based on the principle of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force." On the one hand, this approach upholds the ROC’s sovereignty and safeguards Taiwan's ability to decide its own affairs, and at the same time it promotes the people's wellbeing. Repeated public opinion polls carried out by the Mainland Affairs Council have indicated that the direction of government policy reflects mainstream public opinion in Taiwan. Over the next 10 years, we of course will continue working to "consolidate the sovereignty of the ROC," "build up Taiwan's strength," "take cross-strait relations in a positive direction," and "establish long-term peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." These will constitute the main policy focuses of the government's conduct of cross-strait relations.
To achieve these objectives, the key is to rely on Taiwan's three lines of defense, which I have discussed on numerous occasions in the past, namely institutionalizing cross-strait rapprochement, enhancing Taiwan's contributions to international development, and aligning Taiwan's defense with diplomacy. This is how we intend to establish a lasting peace.
In the area of cross-strait relations, we are proposing several concrete measures, including the following.
First, we aim to promote Taiwan's core values: freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law. In other words, in the course of interaction with mainland China, regardless whether the interaction takes place between the authorities or between private individuals, we hope to see a consensus built gradually on both sides in support of these core values.
Second, cross-strait policy embodies a set of core principles. We emphasize maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait via the policy of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force," and under the framework of the ROC Constitution. Toward that end, an extremely important principle in interaction is "mutual non-recognition of sovereignty and mutual non-denial of authority to govern." Once positive interaction like this has been established, both sides can feel comfortable in moving forward. This will enable truly peaceful cross-strait relations.
Concrete objectives we have in mind include further stabilization of cross-strait relations, institutionalization of modes of interaction, and a gradual effort to move toward the establishment of cross-strait representative offices so that the two sides can handle cross-strait affairs more efficiently. In actual fact, for a long period of time following the resumption of cross-strait talks on the basis of the 1992 Consensus, i.e. “one China, respective interpretations, the frequency, depth, and range of issues addressed in cross-strait talks have increased dramatically. The need to establish cross-strait representative offices is gradually becoming apparent. I hope that we can start working on plans for that.
Meanwhile, an important principle we have always embraced in the conduct of cross-strait relations is "proceeding step by step in an orderly fashion," which means that we address urgent issues before non-urgent ones, easy issues before difficult ones, and economic matters before political ones. After more than three years in office, we are now also thinking about whether, during the next 10 years, we should carefully consider signing a cross-strait peace agreement. Again, note that in pursuing such an undertaking, we would proceed step by step in an orderly fashion. Moreover, we would not even take the first step toward seeking an agreement unless the following three preconditions were met: first, it would have to be strongly supported by the public; second, it would have to be truly necessary to the ROC; and the entire process would have to be subject to oversight by the national legislature.
Secondly, the cross-strait trade and economic relationship is becoming increasingly complementary. But complementary in what ways? We must have a global strategy for our economic and trade relations, and cross-strait matters must be addressed within it. Our government is now in the midst of close discussions with the mainland on several thousand trade items not included in the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) early harvest lists. Moving ahead one step at a time, we are working out mutual tariff concessions, eliminating non-tariff trade barriers, and gradually eliminating restrictions on the conduct of cross-strait financial services. We have already taken a first step forward, and in the future will need to further relax restrictions, always proceeding step by step in an orderly fashion. Similarly, we have not made any big moves to allow mainland-invested firms to establish a presence in Taiwan, but there could be further progress on this front during the "golden decade" that lies ahead, because the mainland-invested firms already established in Taiwan have brought about 80 mainlanders in senior management positions to Taiwan while creating over 3,000 jobs here. On balance, this is beneficial to Taiwan. Now that the ECFA has been signed, Taiwan can serve as the world's gateway to mainland China. At the same time, Taiwan can also serve as a gateway for mainland firms wanting to work with Taiwan counterparts to develop global markets. If Taiwan can play such roles as these, it will come to play a bigger role in the global economy.
Another special feature of Taiwan is a free and democratic environment that gives rise to diversity and pluralism, and a relatively mature civil society. We therefore encourage interaction among private organizations from each side of the Taiwan Strait so as to develop a Chinese culture with Taiwan characteristics. The people of both sides are ethnically Chinese, so we should be able to find areas in which we can cooperate and assist each other. We need to support the flourishing development of civil society on both sides, which includes people from the mainland studying in Taiwan and allows for close cultural ties. All of these are extremely important tasks that need to be undertaken jointly by the two sides over the coming 10 years.
The second aspect of the vision for "cross-strait peace" is "national defense and security." I have stressed on many occasions that the first of several roles the Republic of China needs to play in the international community is that of a peacemaker, but peace doesn't just drop out of the sky. It must be worked at. Our purpose in building up our military capabilities and maintaining readiness is to prevent war, not to seek it. Even as we work to institutionalize cross-strait ties and bring about peaceful relations, we must also demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves. That is the only way our people can confidently allow their government to further deepen and improve relations with the mainland. We will therefore continue to maintain close relations with the United States, Japan, and other neighboring nations. In particular, our defense and security cooperation with the United States will continue. The United States recently agreed to help us upgrade our fleet of F-16A/B fighter jets, and I will continue calling on the United States to sell us F-16C/D fighters and diesel submarines. As I have stressed repeatedly, our decisions about which weapons we seek to buy are guided by three principles that will not change: They must be weapons that cannot be produced in Taiwan, they must be defensive in nature, and they must be used to replace aging armaments.
Lastly, I would like to discuss foreign relations. We use the term "viable diplomacy" as an overall description of the policy I have followed since taking office in May 2008. The main objective of viable diplomacy is to maintain a pragmatic and flexible approach. Over the past three-plus years, the number of nations that maintain formal diplomatic relations with us has remained at 23. In addition, over this period, the number of jurisdictions granting visa-free courtesies or landing visas to ROC nationals has increased by 70. This proves that the diplomatic policy we have adopted is the correct one. It has been welcomed by the international community and it should continue to be implemented. We will continue seeking to play the following five roles in the international community: "peacemaker, provider of humanitarian aid, promoter of cultural exchanges, creator of new technologies and business opportunities, and standard-bearer of Chinese culture." This will serve as the direction of our diplomacy, and is what our diplomats will strive towards in their work. Diplomats from Taiwan and mainland China no longer need to engage in contentious struggle to lure away each other's diplomatic allies. In other fields, meanwhile, we need to make serious efforts to serve the international community. In particular, the people of Taiwan are very compassionate, and countries throughout the world are increasingly noticing Taiwan's presence in charitable and public service activities. This is an amazing facet of Taiwan's soft power. I hope that we will be able to further demonstrate this through "Taiwan Academies " or other cultural organizations.
At the same time, we are also vigorously promoting tourism. Tourism actually plays a very important role in cultural interaction. Taiwan is already off to a very good start in this area, and I hope that over the next 10 years we will be able to significantly expand the number of annual tourist arrivals to 10 million. Over this period, however, even more important for us is to boost the quality of the tourism experience while visitors are here in order to attract repeat visits. Meanwhile, we must also offer more in-depth travel experiences. Taiwan has so much to offer that is worthwhile for foreigners to understand Taiwan, and tourism is a great way to make it happen.
In summary, the "Golden Decade, National Visions" blueprint demonstrates our government's confidence and pragmatism. I am delighted to comprehensively unveil our visions in their entirety to the people of the ROC, so that we can all work together in the interest of the nation.
The following are the president's remarks summarizing the "Golden Decade, National Visions" blueprint:
Over the past several weeks I have held five press conferences to introduce the "Golden Decade, National Visions" blueprint, which includes eight major visions and 31 main policy focuses.
Over the course of this period, we have heard many opinions on this initiative. Broadly speaking, these opinions can be boiled down to three basic questions. First, why have we proposed so many national visions and policies? Second, how does our "golden decade" differ from the ten-year plan that has been proposed by other people? And lastly, how are we going to implement so many visions and policies? Since this is the last of the five press conferences on our visions for a "golden decade" blueprint, I would like to respond to these questions.
First, in proposing these visions for a "golden decade," what is our purpose? Everyone knows that, as president of the Republic of China, I must have a long-term focus. The policies that I am proposing are not tailored to the next presidential election. Rather, my proposals are aimed at generating wellbeing for the next generation. That's why the time frame I mention is not four years, but 10.
Secondly, I first unveiled my visions for a "golden decade" in an address that I delivered way back on May 19 last year, on the eve of my second anniversary in office. At that time, I had already given careful consideration to these issues. Over the past year, we have thought things through in even more detail and the plans have become more concrete. Therefore, I am now reporting them to the public.
Looking at this issue from another angle, why are we aiming to carry out this blueprint? We all need to look at the world around us. The challenges before us are severe. We must act responsibly, face up to these challenges, and put forward policies in response. That's the only way the public can understand the direction in which the president intends to lead the nation. Many people ask what direction the country should take in the future. Over the past three-plus years, the path we have chosen has absolutely been the correct one. Regardless whether the subject is national defense, diplomacy, or cross-strait policy, we can all propose good approaches and report on them to the public. With regard to economic development, for example, we have clearly set the goal of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership within 10 years. Although we are not currently qualified to join, we must quickly take steps to meet the qualification requirements. But we cannot focus solely on economic development. We also need to be concerned about the people's quality of life. Consequently, we have adopted a number of quality-of-life benchmarks and will work to reach the standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The leader of a nation must focus on these sorts of big-picture issues, and must explain to the public in what direction he or she intends to lead the nation.
Some have asked how our "golden decade" idea differs from the 10-year plan that has been put forward by other people. Our 10-year plan, for one thing, is a continuation of past policies, but even more importantly, it represents an entirely new approach. Some of the policies that I have promoted or implemented since coming to office were not in my campaign platform. Of the more than 400 policies in my platform, 91% have already been wholly or partly implemented. Things not originally in my platform include second-generation national health insurance and 12-year compulsory education. In addition, I originally proposed the idea of having three special municipalities, but ultimately that was changed to the creation of five special municipalities. Why did developments take a turn in this direction? The reason is that times change, the objective environment changes, and trends change, so we must adopt pragmatic and forward-looking thinking to promote policies and adapt to new conditions. For instance, shortly after I took office, the government began issuing consumption vouchers to the public to boost spending and offset the effects of a rapid economic slowdown caused by the global financial tsunami. This is something that I had not anticipated. Nonetheless, the issuance of consumption vouchers at that time would have a beneficial impact on society and the economy. So we took the move, and it proved to be the right decision.
We took this route to present the people with a clear choice, and to spur them to think about the direction of national policy. I therefore welcome the Ten Year Policy Manifesto that has been proposed by the presidential candidate from the Democratic Progressive Party. This shifts the focus of debate to public policy, which is normal in a democratic society. In the course of this debate, we can see that regardless of how far apart the ruling and opposition parties are on certain issues, on other topics both sides actually are in consensus. This is an extremely valuable experience. Taiwan's democratic system places great stress on reaching consensus through rational debate.
However, various differences still exist between both sides. For instance, let's look at the issue of "residential justice," which constitutes one part of my vision for "a just society." We have already unveiled various policies and actually many of these policies have already been put into practice over the three years of my administration. These include the institution of a luxury tax, the registration of prices of real estate and land transactions at the actual price at which they were carried out, and the expropriation of land at market prices. All of these policies are not adopted just for the present, but will continue to be followed in the future. In addition, our "golden decade" concept takes into consideration the entire world, with the Asia-Pacific region serving as the core, and the ROC on Taiwan as the main actor. In other words, this follows through on our frequently stated policy of "building up Taiwan while linking with the Asia-Pacific region and deploying globally." This state of affairs took shape four years ago. As long as the overall state of affairs requires no changes, it is enough that we simply do a bit of tweaking with the details.
I recall that last year when I engaged in a debate with DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) she remarked, "The direction of the Kuomintang is to reach the entire world via mainland China. We, on the other hand, will reach mainland China via the rest of the world." I believe that we shouldn't have to pick between the two, but can take both routes simultaneously. For example, we have signed the ECFA with mainland China, and we have also been in contact with Singapore and other nations about the possibility of negotiating economic cooperation accords. Nothing is set in stone about what must come first. In fact, we can proceed concurrently on many fronts. Actually, from the signing of the ECFA in late June 2010 to the end of September this year, the ratio of our trade with mainland China as a portion of our overall external trade has not significantly increased in comparison with three years ago. While the volume of trade with the mainland has increased, the ratio to total trade has remained constant. Why is this? It is because the growth of trade with other regions has been even higher. This shows that our policy of diversifying our export markets has been a success. We will most certainly not stress the mainland to the exclusion of international markets, or vice versa. We can strike a proper balance between the two, because mainland China is a member of the international community. We have no particular ideological axe to grind in this respect.
So whose plan for the next 10 years is the more pragmatic, forward-looking, self-confident, and bold? I have no doubt that whoever reads the details thoroughly knows the answer. The reason for this is that we have experienced and learned a lot over the past three-plus years. We know the sorts of things about which we can make bold statements and take decisive action with confidence in our ability to make good on our promises. Over the past three years, our efforts have been well received both at home and abroad. This doesn't mean that we are totally satisfied with what we have done. Over these three years, we have learned many things from experience in such areas as the economy, disaster preparedness and rescue, and the handling of outbreaks of infectious diseases. Step by step, we are improving our ability to execute policies. This is the reason why we are brimming with confidence about the future.
Lastly, how are we going to execute so many policies? In fact, this has been my personal style of governing for many years. The first time that I ran for Taipei City mayor, I unveiled a policy white paper that we issued in about 17 or 18 separate brochures. And the same thing was true again when I ran for re-election. When I was inaugurated as mayor, I asked the RDEC of Taipei City government to track the implementation of my white paper to make sure that what I outlined in my platform was being turned into policy and then gradually being carried out. Even though I was unable to achieve every policy vision, the vast majority of ideas were fulfilled. Some people ask why I have such a broad platform. To this, my answer is that I am being responsible to the voters. I cannot only speak empty words and draw big charts without telling the public how we are going to achieve these visions. That is not my style. This is why we are proposing the "Golden Decade, National Visions" blueprint. This is the ideal we are aiming to achieve.
I am a public servant. In my work, everything I do is for this land and its people. I must tell them the direction in which I desire to lead the nation. This is the least that is expected of a leader. I am confident that we have been extremely clear over the past three years on the path that we are taking. But what about the next 10 years? Do we need to make adjustments to this course? I would like to use this press conference to explain things to everyone.
Over the past three-plus years, the government and the public have worked together, and we have accomplished many things that few could have ever imagined. In particular, even though the opposition parties have different viewpoints and frequently criticize the government, this is what democracy is all about. I hope that everyone understands that I truly am pleased to be doing what I am doing and am willing to bear the pressure. I want to contribute the second half of my life to this land and its people in order to create a better environment for generations yet to come.
On the evening of the Double Tenth National Day, I went to Fulfillment Amphitheatre in Taichung to watch the rock opera Dreamers, which was written by renowned director Stan Lai (賴聲川). This show is about a young person who loves to dance, but whose parents do not approve of his interest. But the grandfather of this young man tells him that his great grandparents were the 73rd and 74th martyrs in the Huanghuagang cemetery. The grandfather recalled that shortly after he was born, his parents planted a tree to give to him. Even though his parents were no longer alive when he grew up, this tree was still there to accompany him. This grandfather told his grandson to go and realize his dreams, since the young man's great grandfather paid with his life to create an environment that would enable the boy to realize his dreams.
I was quite moved in watching this opera, because it depicted exactly what we are trying to accomplish now. We are working hard to create an environment in which the next generation can fulfill its dreams. Isn't this what the efforts and sacrifices of our ancestors 100 years ago were all about? How fortunate we are to have lived in a relatively peaceful environment over the past 60 years, and to be able to complete our education amid peace and stability. Just about everyone attending today’s press conference has received more education than their parents. How was this accomplished? This was thanks to the sacrifices made by our parents. In some cases, people have given their lives. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Today in my role as president I want everyone to know that our next generation should have an even better environment than we have had. But that means we need to create that environment. So, it is through the "Golden Decade, National Visions" initiative that we are telling everyone that we are working to give every child the opportunity to become a dreamer.
Among the government officials attending the press conference were Vice President Vincent C. Siew, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), Secretary-General to the President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖), National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真), Vice Premier Sean C. Chen (陳冲), Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan Lin Join-sane (林中森), Minister without Portfolio Cyrus C. Y. Chu (朱敬一), Minister without Portfolio Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘), Deputy Secretary-General to the President Kao Lang (高朗), Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添), Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chih-kuo (毛治國), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛), Government Information Office Minister Philip Y. M. Yang (楊永明), Coast Guard Administration Minister Wang Ginn-wang (王進旺), and Council for Economic Planning and Development Deputy Minister Hu Chung-ying (胡仲英).