President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of December 27 with Danish Parliament 2nd Deputy Speaker Pia Kjærsgaard and Mr. Kjærsgaard. In addition to expressing his appreciation to Deputy Speaker Kjærsgaard for her strong support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations, the president also stated his hopes that the two countries will continue working to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions, and share experience regarding such matters.
In remarks, the president first extended a warm welcome to Deputy Speaker Kjærsgaard on her seventh visit to Taiwan. He stated that Deputy Speaker Kjærsgaard is a true friend to Taiwan, and for many years has spoken on behalf of ROC throughout Europe. In 2006, he noted, she asked that the Danish People's Party's European Union (EU) policy spokesperson push for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly. The following year, she submitted an article to Denmark's largest newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, advocating participation for Taiwan in United Nations initiatives, he said. Moreover, Deputy Speaker Kjærsgaard is not only a member of the Danish parliament's Taiwan Friendship Association, but she and her husband are also a board member and a member, respectively, of the Taiwan-Denmark Association . Furthermore, the president noted, the Danish People's Party she founded has also submitted many resolutions in parliament calling for the Danish government to enhance its relations with Taiwan.
President Ma pointed out that since he took office in 2008, the EU and the European Parliament have issued declarations or passed resolutions on 18 occasions expressing support for meaningful participation for Taiwan in United Nations specialized agencies, commenting positively on the development of cross-strait relations, and supporting the signing of an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and the EU. He particularly remarked that bilateral interaction has increased considerably on many fronts since the EU granted visa-free treatment in 2011 to ROC nationals traveling to Schengen member states. President Ma also commented that in recent years Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland have signed youth working holiday agreements with Taiwan, helping to pave the way for even greater interaction among young people from these countries. President Ma expressed his hopes for progress on a similar agreement between Taiwan and Denmark.
President Ma stressed that the EU is Taiwan's largest source of foreign investment, with aggregate investment now standing at over US$30 billion. Last year, trade between Taiwan and the EU reached US$52 billion. Nonetheless, the trade volume between Taiwan and Denmark only amounted to US$660 million, he commented, expressing his confidence that considerable room exists between the two for expanded economic and trade ties.
The president also mentioned that Denmark provides one of the world's most successful models for energy conservation and carbon reduction. In particular, Denmark even uses straw to generate electricity, which is amazing, he added. Former ROC Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Sheng-chung (林聖忠) and Environmental Protection Administration Minister Stephen Shu-hung Shen (沈世宏) have been on fact-finding missions to Denmark, where they visited major energy companies such as Vestas Wind System A/S and Burmeister & Waine Energy A/S. These trips proved to be extremely valuable, he said, adding that he hopes Denmark and Taiwan will continue cooperating to further advance efforts to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions.
In discussing the recent dispute surrounding the Diaoyutai Islets in the East China Sea, President Ma stated that Taiwan has learned from Europe's experience in addressing the issue of development of the North Sea oil field. European nations, he noted, were willing to shelve sovereignty disputes and instead focus on jointly developing the region's resources. This has served as a model for the world in handling similar disputes, the president said, explaining that Taiwan made reference to the experience of Europe in formulating its East China Sea Peace Initiative.
The president recalled that he visited the Danish capital of Copenhagen over 20 years ago and during that visit called on former Mayor Hans Thustrup Hansen. The beauty of Denmark and the warmth of its people had made a deep impression on him.
The visitors were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Yea-Ping Shih (史亞平) to meet with President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) and National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Philip Y. M. Yang (楊永明).