The US Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will include the ROC in its Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The ROC will become the 37th country to be included in the VWP, and it will be the only nation in the VWP that does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with the United States. President Ma Ying-jeou welcomed the announcement by the United States, stating that the decision points to the deep friendship between the two countries, and that the ROC's "viable diplomacy " policy has been the correct one. At the same time, the president recognized the disciplined and law-abiding nature of the public, as well as the work carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department of North American Affairs, Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs, Bureau of Consular Affairs, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, etc.) and the Ministry of the Interior's National Immigration Agency for their work in helping the ROC achieve this status.
Over 400,000 ROC nationals visit the United States annually, and entry into the US VWP will not only bolster bilateral economic and trade ties, but also will significantly promote people-to-people contact and tourism. At the same time, the move will save at least NT$600 million in visa fees for ROC citizens.
Presidential Office Spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) stated that President Ma's administration over the past four years has embraced a policy of "low key, no surprises " in its interaction with the United States. This has helped to rebuild mutual trust at the highest levels and enhance bilateral friendship, he said. For instance, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publicly praised Taiwan as an important security and economic partner of the United States. American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt has also stated that relations between Taiwan and the United States are now the best they've been in 30 years. With the entry of the ROC into the US VWP, 129 jurisdictions now provide visa-free courtesies or landing visas to ROC nationals. In addition, the ROC will be the only nation included in the VWP that does not have diplomatic ties with the United States. Moreover, nearly 98% of the jurisdictions most frequented by ROC nationals now offer them visa-free courtesies or landing visas, which shows that the foreign policy adopted by the ROC has been the correct one, he said. Spokesman Fan Chiang stated that, besides expressing his appreciation for recognition by the United States of the ROC's soft power, President Ma also is confident that, as a result of this move, the two sides will have even better trade and economic relations and stronger ties in the areas of tourism, culture, and academics.