On the afternoon of October 31, President Ma Ying-jeou met with the US Department of Commerce's Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco J. Sanchez. President Ma welcomed Under Secretary Sanchez and members of his delegation to Taiwan to take part in a reception to celebrate the inclusion of Taiwan in the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The president also expressed his hopes for continued strengthening of cooperation and interaction between the two sides to further bolster the bilateral relationship.
In remarks, President Ma first expressed his heartfelt concern for the damage caused in the eastern United States by Hurricane Sandy.
The president commented that Under Secretary Sanchez first visited Taiwan when he graduated from university. This, however, marks his first trip to Taiwan in his capacity as a government official. In addition to promoting the Select USA investment initiative launched by US President Barack Obama, President Ma said, Under Secretary Sanchez is also visiting Taiwan to attend a reception in the evening to mark Taiwan's entry into the US VWP. This event, he noted, marks an important milestone in the history of bilateral ties.
President Ma pointed out that 37 countries throughout the world have been accepted into the US VWP. However, the ROC is the only one that does not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States. This indicates that the substantive relationship between the two countries already exceeds the official relationship of the past, he commented. The president said that in fact Taiwan many years ago began providing visa-free courtesies to US citizens. Now, the United States has finally reciprocated, he said, remarking that this indicates the United States has recognized the low rejection rate for US visas among ROC nationals and Taiwan's promotion of a system in which its citizens must apply in person for passports that are fitted with an IC chip. President Ma also commented that the entry into the VWP also marks another step forward in mutual trust at the highest levels between the two countries. The president cited data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showing that ROC nationals make over 400,000 visits to the United States annually. He said he is confident that after formal inclusion takes effect, visits, interaction, and trade between the two countries will experience considerable growth.
With respect to the trade and economic relationship between Taiwan and the United States, the president noted that the United States is Taiwan's third largest trading partner, while Taiwan is America's 10th largest trading partner and second largest per-capita consumer of US agricultural goods. Besides the close and far-reaching trade and economic relationship, the two countries have also maintained longstanding cooperation in the areas of security, technology, and education, he said. In particular, many students from Taiwan look to the United States as their preferred destination when seeking to study overseas, he added.
President Ma remarked that Taiwan and mainland China have already signed the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, while Taiwan and Japan have signed the Bilateral Investment Arrangement. Presently, he said, Taiwan is engaged in negotiations with Singapore and New Zealand on economic cooperation agreements. He further expressed his hopes that once negotiations between Taiwan and the United States resume under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), conditions will gradually become conducive towards Taiwan reaching its objective of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
President Ma furthermore stated that the US Department of Commerce in recent years has actively promoted the National Export Initiative and the Select USA program, which are designed to generate exports, recruit investment, and foster tourism. The president said he hopes that, once TIFA negotiations resume, the necessary conditions will exist to facilitate a strengthening and expansion of bilateral economic and trade ties.
Under Secretary Sanchez commented that he was impressed with the vitality of the people of Taiwan when he visited Taiwan 30 years ago, and especially liked the night markets. Having not visited Taiwan for several decades, he said he now marvels at the development and advancement achieved by Taiwan. He also noted that there has been concrete progress in Taiwan-US relations in recent years, with Taiwan's entry into the VWP serving as an example. This measure will take the bilateral relationship to a new level, he said, and he is confident that it will mean extra business opportunities for business people from Taiwan who need to travel to the United States in the course of their work. It will also help the public in general achieve a deeper understanding of the United States, he said.
Under Secretary Sanchez was accompanied by Carleton Shephard (special assistant to the under secretary ) and Shalizeh Nadjmi (Department of Commerce international trade specialist on Taiwan, Japan, and Korea). The delegation was escorted to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Christopher J. Marut to meet with President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添), National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生), and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tung Kuoyu (董國猷).