President Ma Ying-jeou held a press conference on the morning of May 20 at the Presidential Office for the local and foreign press to mark the inauguration of the 13th-term president and vice president of the ROC. The president delivered remarks on cross-strait policy, the development of Taiwan's economy and trade, diplomatic policies, and recent administrative policies. He also reiterated that in the coming four years the government will continue to embrace its ideals and work hand-in-hand to reform and create a better Taiwan to enhance wellbeing for the public.
In remarks, President Ma stated that as a president who is now serving a second term, he will continue to uphold his ideals over the next four years, work together with the rest of society to carry out reforms, and seek to create greater wellbeing for Taiwan. The president then mentioned the five pillars of national growth that the government aims to achieve in order to boost Taiwan's competitiveness, namely "enhancing the drivers of economic growth," "creating employment and realizing social justice," "developing an environment characterized by low carbon emissions and a high reliance on green energy," "building up culture as a source of national strength," and cultivating, recruiting and retaining talent." At the same time, he said, the government will place great importance on cross-strait relations, foreign affairs, and matters of national security in order to maintain the nation's sovereignty, ensure Taiwan's security, and promote wellbeing among the public.
In turning his attention to policy matters that have attracted considerable public scrutiny recently, the president mentioned the rationalization of gasoline and electricity prices, tax reform based on ability to pay, and efforts to sign free trade agreements with the ROC's major trading partners. He reiterated his belief in the correctness of his policy initiatives, but acknowledged that his efforts to achieve change have stirred up a lot of discontent. President Ma apologized for all the public consternation that has arisen, and stressed that the government is willing to listen to the demands of the public in the spirit of empathy while actively working to formulate more appropriate means of instituting these policies, which also includes the timeframe for their implementation and the level of communication that is required. The government will be more cautious and adopt more well-thought strategies in promoting these policies, he pointed out. It will also expand the scope of communication to include the legislature, the public in general, the media, and opposition parties. At the same time, the president said, the government will closely observe the performance of administrative officials. Evaluations of the performance of individuals will be carried out and officials will be replaced if needed, he said. These efforts are aimed at reducing opposition among the public in implementing these policies, he added.
In discussing cross-strait policy, President Ma stressed that cross-strait relations are being promoted under the principles of addressing "easy issues before difficult ones," "urgent matters before non-urgent ones," and "economic matters before political ones." With this in mind, the two sides to date have signed 16 agreements, he said, which constitute an important portion of the institutionalization of cross-strait reconciliation. As a result, at present there is no pressing need to discuss a peace accord with mainland China, the president said.
President Ma also reiterated that the government will pursue the development of cross-strait peace under the framework of the ROC Constitution, by maintaining the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force," and win act in accordance with the "1992 Consensus," whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China," but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. Based on the experience of the past four years, he said, this would appear to be a viable approach. He added that the majority of the public supports the present state of cross-strait relations, and remarked that in the future the government will continue to promote the policy of "putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people" and creating a cross-strait peace dividend. In the process, he said, the government will absolutely not harm the sovereignty of the ROC or Taiwan's security.
Meanwhile, with regard to the future development of Taiwan's economy and trade, the president said that trade liberalization is an objective that the ROC is pursuing. He explained that two years ago Taiwan and mainland China signed the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, which he said provides a prototype for trade liberalization. In addition, the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) involves multilateral trade. At present, Taiwan is still in a position to join the TPP, he said. However, only through engaging in "contacts on a variety of fronts and gradually signing accords" will Taiwan achieve the conditions that will enable it to participate in the TPP, he said. President Ma noted that the ROC is currently involved in negotiations on economic cooperation agreements with Singapore and New Zealand. Both of those countries are parties to the TPP, he said, furthermore explaining that if Taiwan's discussions with these two countries are successful, the level of Taiwan's trade liberalization will be advanced and barriers to joining the TPP will be reduced. The government, the president stated, will actively work to create satisfactory conditions to join the TPP, hoping to achieve this goal within eight years.
President Ma remarked that the United States is Taiwan's third largest trading partner. In 1994, the two sides signed the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). However, to this point various issues related to bilateral investment and the avoidance of double taxation have been shelved due to the topic of American beef imports to Taiwan, he explained. President Ma said that the government in the future hopes to resume negotiations under the TIFA framework as soon as possible, but subject to the precondition that there are no concerns about the safety of consuming US beef.
Lastly, President Ma also discussed the direction of Taiwan's foreign policy. He stressed that Taiwan places considerable importance on the 23 nations with which it maintains formal diplomatic relations. In addition to making every effort to maintain the stability of those alliances, the government is also seeking to expand the scope of cooperation, he said. President Ma pointed out that there are precedents in which mainland China has established diplomatic relations with countries that maintain formal ties with the ROC. Consequently, he said that four years ago immediately upon taking office he proclaimed that it will be difficult for the cross-strait relationship to develop if Taiwan continues to be isolated in the international community. The president stated that when he attended inauguration ceremonies for a head of state in one of the ROC's diplomatic allies in Central America, he urged the leader of that nation to maintain the diplomatic alliance with the ROC. President Ma told that leader, however, that the ROC would have no objection if that nation desired to develop a non-official trade and economic relationship with mainland China. President Ma commented that the relationships between the ROC and the 23 nations with which it maintains diplomatic relations are quite stable and that there are no signs of any changes in this situation. He furthermore stressed that in the future the government will continue to emphasize the principles of "seeking proper goals, acting lawfully, and exercising effective administration" in carrying out its foreign aid policies. The ROC will continue to interact with its diplomatic partners, he said, and it will strengthen cooperation with these nations in the areas of education, agriculture, medical care, and vocational training.
Also attending the press conference were Vice President Wu Den-yih, Secretary-General to the President Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), and Deputy Secretary-Generals to the President Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and Hsiung Kuang-hua (熊光華).