President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of November 20 with a US congressional delegation led by Congressman Rob Wittman, chairman of the Committee on Armed Services' Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The president welcomed and thanked the visitors for making a trip to Taiwan so soon after the recent conclusion of the US elections.
In remarks, President Ma first thanked Congressman Wittman for his longstanding concern for the development of Taiwan. Congressman Wittman, the president said, has also continued to pay attention to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances to Taiwan.
The president stated that since taking office he has actively pursued improvement in cross-strait relations and the creation of a platform for communication and peaceful coordination among equals. To date, Taiwan and mainland China have signed 18 agreements and reached two points of consensus, he said, adding that these have effectively reduced tensions between the two sides, helped to maintain peace in East Asia, and significantly boosted Taiwan's relations with the international community. For instance, he pointed out, the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and the United States is now the best it has been since 1979.
President Ma stated that over the past four years, the United States has agreed to the sale of over US$18 billion worth of arms to Taiwan. In addition, besides sending high-ranking officials to Taiwan, the United States on November 1 this year formally included Taiwan in its Visa Waiver Program (VWP), making Taiwan the 37th country in the world to join the program, and the only one with which the United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations. President Ma expressed confidence that bilateral ties will see a considerable boost in the wake of Taiwan's inclusion into the VWP, which will make relations between the two countries even closer.
The president mentioned that his administration has embraced a "low key, no surprises" approach to relations with the United States. Both nations share a commitment to democracy, freedom, human rights, rule of law, and peace, and have re-established trust at the highest levels and enhanced friendship, he said. For instance, in the face of the sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyutai Islets, the ROC government has actively defended the sovereignty and fishing rights of the ROC in the area, while the president has proposed the East China Sea Peace Initiative. Based on the principle that while sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared, President Ma has urged all concerned parties to exhibit self-restraint, shelve disputes, adopt peaceful means to resolve the situation, and jointly develop the resources in the region.
Now that the issue of US beef imports to Taiwan has been settled, said the president, the foundation has been created for the resumption of trade talks between Taiwan and the United States that have been stalled for five years. He expressed his hopes that the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) will not only help to forge a closer relationship between the two countries, but will also create greater benefits and wellbeing for the public. The president said that progress made under the TIFA could also help Taiwan play a bigger part in the process of economic integration, and boost Taiwan's chances to enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership. President Ma also noted that at the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Vladivostok, Russia in September, Mr. Lien Chan (連戰), who represented Taiwan, held discussions with mainland Chinese leader Hu Jintao (胡錦濤). During those talks, Mr. Lien expressed Taiwan's desire to meaningfully participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization, and his call was received positively. President Ma said that Taiwan welcomes this development, and expressed his hopes that the United States will continue to provide its strong support to Taiwan in this regard.
The president also mentioned that the United States was instrumental in helping the ROC to attend the World Health Assembly each of the past four years. The friendship between the ROC and the United States dates back over 100 years, he said, and these ties have grown deeper over the past four years. President Ma also thanked the United States Congress for the important role it has played in continuing to support Taiwan.
Congressman Wittman praised President Ma for his leadership and important role in boosting relations between Taiwan and the United States, as well as between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He said he hopes to take advantage of this trip to Taiwan to pursue greater cooperative opportunities and continue to assist Taiwan in resolving the challenges it may face.
Congressman Wittman, along with House Representatives Madeleine Bordallo, David Cicilline, and Bill Flores, were accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Christopher J. Marut to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tung Kuoyu (董國猷).