Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of December 12 with New York University (NYU) Professor of Law Jerome A. Cohen, who is also co-director of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute. The president praised Professor Cohen for his contributions and longstanding research into legal systems on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

In remarks, the president commented that Professor Cohen is an expert on East Asian law and Asian studies. He has a deep understanding of the legal systems on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and his research has played an important role in promoting the advancement of legal systems and human rights in both Taiwan and mainland China. Having taught at Harvard University and New York University for many years, he was responsible for establishing the East Asian Legal Studies program at Harvard and the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at NYU, the president pointed out. These two organizations have not only become hubs for related research, but also provided scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait opportunities to interact.

President Ma furthermore said that Professor Cohen has long paid close attention to criminal law and human rights protections on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and he has especially concerned himself with judicial reform here. The president noted that Professor Cohen is of the view that a smooth implementation of judicial reform in Taiwan will have a considerable impact on mainland China. The president also stated that in addition to the continued judicial exchange between the two sides, the public in mainland China was able to view via the Internet the televised debate between presidential candidates here that was held on December 3. These were all unprecedented, he said.

The president also mentioned that accompanying Professor Cohen on this visit is Margaret K. Lewis, associate professor of Law at Seton Hall University School of Law. The president remarked that Professor Lewis is a promising young scholar, and one of just a very few who are well-versed in legal systems on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Besides having researched mainland China's capital punishment system, Professors Lewis and Cohen have collaborated on comparative research on legal and judicial procedures on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. President Ma said that he hopes the two will gain a further understanding of Taiwan's legal system during their visit here.

Professor Cohen, Associate Professor Lewis, and NYU School of Law Director of Development Betsy Brown were accompanied to the Presidential Office by 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 Chih-kung Liu (劉志攻).