President Ma Ying-jeou, in the company of Vice President Wu Den-yih, met on the afternoon of April 2 with the ROC delegation that will attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2013, which is held annually in Boao in mainland China's Hainan Province. The president stated that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should continue with their economic cooperation and carry out all agreements associated with the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), thereby further deepening and broadening bilateral interaction and cooperation in all fields.
In remarks, the president first praised the outstanding contributions of Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation Honorary Chairman Vincent C. Siew (蕭萬長), who has participated in the Boao Forum for Asia for many years. The president commented that Honorary Chairman Siew led a delegation from Taiwan to attend the inaugural Boao Forum in 2003, and his participation in the event has helped pave the way for increased interaction between Taiwan and mainland China, as well as Taiwan and the international community. Honorary Chairman Siew was also instrumental in launching the Cross-Strait Economic, Trade, and Cultural Forum, he said, which has not only become an important platform for trade and economic interaction between the two sides, but also has turned into an important avenue of communication on economic and trade issues. The forum has effectively promoted cross-strait economic and trade cooperation, the president remarked.
President Ma pointed out that this year's Boao Forum for Asia will be held from April 4 to April 6 in Hainan Province, and will focus on the theme of "Asia Seeking Development for All: Restructuring, Responsibility & Cooperation." The president said that how to emerge from the international economic slowdown and pursue joint prosperity and development for Asia's economy are the objectives of all countries in the region. He specifically pointed to the focus on "restructuring" at this year's event, saying that a series of discussions will be centered around this theme. Mainland China is now under new leadership and in a period of economic transition, noted the president, who added that Honorary Chairman Siew, by leading a delegation to the forum, will be able to understand the latest developments in this regard and exchange experiences with mainland counterparts.
On the subject of cross-strait cooperation, the president stated that over the past four-plus years the two sides have signed 18 agreements and reached consensus on a further two issues. In particular, the president pointed out, the ECFA signed three years ago was a historic breakthrough, and it is hoped that follow-up ECFA negotiations on trade in services will be held in the next few months, while talks on trade in goods will be completed by the end of this year. President Ma said that deals on these two fronts will create a new driver of economic and trade relations between the two sides. In addition, he stated, interaction between the two sides is continuing to grow in banking, tourism, and other areas.
President Ma furthermore remarked that the two sides should continue to engage in economic cooperation as a means of responding to the challenges posed by the eurozone debt crisis and the slowdown in the US economy. In particular, he said, all aspects of the ECFA should be implemented, noting that the ECFA not only serves to promote cross-strait economic and trade cooperation, but has also put Taiwan in a better strategic position to negotiate economic cooperation agreements with Singapore, New Zealand, and Japan. President Ma mentioned that he and Honorary Chairman Siew recently exchanged opinions on related topics and agreed on the need to promote cross-strait industrial cooperation and continue adding depth and breadth to all areas of interaction and cooperation.
The president stressed that the ROC government has consistently sought, under the framework of the ROC Constitution, to maintain the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" in the Taiwan Strait, and to promote peaceful development of cross-strait ties under the "1992 Consensus," whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. This concept was put forward by Taiwan, and the past five years have shown it to be a viable way to forge closer cross-strait interaction and open Taiwan's doors to the rest of the world, the president said. In other words, improving cross-strait relations and Taiwan's relations with the international community is not an either/or proposition, he stated, adding that the government will continue to use various avenues, whether they be on the cultural, economic and trade, or technology fronts, to promote cross-strait interaction.
President Ma mentioned that the Boao Forum for Asia is an important venue for annual interaction between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He expressed hope that Honorary Chairman Siew and the rest of Taiwan's delegation will take advantage of this opportunity to engage in interaction with others during this important event, thereby promoting cross-strait prosperity and development and forging greater wellbeing for the people of both sides.
The members of Taiwan's delegation to the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2013 include Mr. Federick Chien (錢復) (Senior Advisor to the Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation and Chairman of Cathay Charity Foundation), Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation Chairman Hou-Sheng Chan (詹火生), and Adimmune Corp. Chairman Steve Chan (詹啟賢). The delegation was led by Honorary Chairman Siew to the Presidential Office 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 Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生).