President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 25 with former president of the World Bank Robert Zoellick. On behalf of the people of the ROC, the president extended a cordial welcome to Mr. Zoellick, who is visiting Taiwan just months after concluding his tenure at the World Bank.
The president noted that Mr. Zoellick was visiting Taiwan at the invitation of Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) to participate in an international conference on "International Development Cooperation and the Taiwan Experience" and deliver an address entitled "International Development Cooperation: Now and Future." The president said Mr. Zoellick's remarks will enable the public to better understand the roles that the ROC can play in the international community.
Regarding the ROC's foreign aid work, President Ma stated that "the purpose must be legitimate, the process must be lawful, and the implementation must be effective." Working in accordance with this tenet, the ROC's official development assistance (ODA) last year stood at US$380 million, or 0.093% of gross national income (GNI). This level of assistance is near that of Korea and Greece, he said, and places the ROC between Luxembourg (US$410 million) and Greece (US$330 million). In addition, in response to the UN Millennium Development Goals, the ROC will continue working to eradicate poverty and hunger, and to provide education for all, he stated.
The president stated that last year the ROC dispatched 32 technical and medical missions, industrial service teams, and investment and trade teams to 29 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific, West Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where they carried out 85 cooperation programs. Consequently, the ROC is already fulfilling its role as a peacemaker and will continue working to be a provider of humanitarian aid, he said.
President Ma said that in 2006 he had the opportunity when he served as mayor of Taipei City and chairman of the Kuomintang to meet with Mr. Zoellick, who then was serving as deputy secretary of state. At the time, the two exchanged opinions on Taiwan-US relations and issues of mutual interest. Two years later , he said, he won the presidential election, and then-US President George W. Bush immediately issued him a message of congratulations. Since President Ma took office, former President Bush and President Barack Obama have approved a total of three packages of arms sales to Taiwan with an aggregate value of over US$18.3 billion, which is the highest in the past 10 years. President Ma said that the United States has consistently provided a high level of support for Taiwan, whether it be with respect to the US Visa Waiver Program or participation in international activities. In addition, the United States has also sent a number of important officials to Taiwan, including US Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah, Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman, Assistant Commerce Secretary for Trade Promotion Suresh Kumar, and so far this year Coordinator for the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs Dawn McCall and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez. This shows that Taiwan-US relations are at their strongest level in the past 30 years, he said.
Lastly, the president stressed that the issue of US beef imports to Taiwan has been resolved and negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between the two countries will be resumed in the near future. This shows the international community that Taiwan is a credible trading partner, and it also will help to create the conditions for Taiwan's eventual participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he said.
Mr. Zoellick was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tung Kuoyu (董國猷) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真).