President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 3 with a delegation of mainland Chinese businessmen who are in Taiwan to attend a forum focusing on the dividends that can be reaped from cross-strait peace. In addition to extending a welcome to the group, the president also described the peace dividends that have resulted from the government's pursuit of improved cross-strait relations.
In remarks, the president stated that he has continuously strived to strengthen cross-strait relations since taking office. He has promoted the development of cross-strait peace under the framework of the ROC Constitution and based on the "1992 Consensus," whereunder each side adheres to the "one China" principle but is entitled to its own interpretation of what "one China" means. Within this framework, he stated, we are maintaining the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force." The president said that this initiative has yielded peace and prosperity, specifically pointing to the 16 agreements signed between Taiwan and mainland China over the past four years. The two sides now interact and cooperate on the basis of "dignity, reciprocity, and peace," he said, adding that this has helped to increase breathing room for Taiwan to participate in international activities and created a virtuous circle between cross-strait relations and Taiwan's participation in the international community.
President Ma remarked that the latest public opinion poll carried out by the Executive Yuan's Mainland Affairs Council shows that 86% of the public supports broadly maintaining the status quo between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, while 71% supports the institutionalization of cross-strait negotiation mechanisms. Furthermore, the majority of the public also supports the current pace of cross-strait interaction. While differences remain between the two sides, the president said, the wisdom and rationality of Taiwan and mainland China will help to resolve disputes, which he is quite pleased to see.
In discussing cross-strait cultural ties, President Ma mentioned that some mainland Chinese students presently are studying full-time here, and he recently met with them to better understand how they are getting on here. In addition, he stated that the elections held in January for the president, vice president, and legislators attracted considerable attention among people in the mainland. This also marked the first time that mainlanders could use the Internet to watch the entire election and vote tabulation process, which the president lauded as a step in the right direction.
President Ma stated that Taiwan's democracy is becoming increasingly mature, pointing out that the president here has been directly elected five times. Elections have become a part of everyday life here, and even though there is still room for improvement, Taiwan has taken an important step in the ethnic Chinese community, proving that the democratic system developed in the West is starting to take root in Chinese society. Today’s Republic of China said the president is clearly a worthy successor to the nation established by founding father Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
As for cross-strait economic and trade ties, President Ma emphasized that the signing of the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) has been instrumental in promoting economic and trade liberalization here. For instance, Switzerland's International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in its 2011 World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Taiwan as the sixth most competitive economy in the world. The president added that the ECFA has also set a precedent that is providing Taiwan with the opportunity to negotiate economic cooperation accords with New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan. Taiwan is actively participating in regional economic integration, he said, adding that the government will continue to build on what has been achieved thus far.
President Ma commented that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait still need to iron out many issues. However, the president said he is confident that cross-strait relations will benefit as long as both sides embrace the attitude of "peace, rationality, and reciprocity" in addressing these topics. He also expressed his hope that the visitors will gain a better understanding of Taiwan during their stay, which he said will further promote mutual understanding.
The delegation of over 10 mainland businessmen was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Innovation Works Chairman and CEO Kai-Fu Lee (李開復) and Global Views Monthly and CommonWealth Publishing Group Chairman Charles H. C. Kao (高希均) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Deputy Secretary-General to the President Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀).