President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of April 24 with a delegation from the US State of Idaho. In addition to welcoming the visitors on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president also called for continued strengthening of cooperation and interaction to further deepen the relationship between Taiwan and the United States.
In remarks, the president stated that Idaho Governor C. L. "Butch" Otter previously led a delegation to Taiwan in October 2008, and was the first US governor he met after being inaugurated as president. This makes this return visit by Governor Otter all the more meaningful, the president said.
President Ma remarked that Taiwan and Idaho maintain close cooperation in the areas of high technology, higher education, economic and trade ties, and clean energy. He pointed out that Taiwan Province and Idaho have a longstanding relationship, having signed a sisterhood agreement in 1984. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of this agreement, he said, adding that this trip to Taiwan led by Governor Otter highlights the bond between the two sides.
In discussing bilateral economic and trade ties, President Ma stated that Taiwan is Idaho's second largest export market, constantly importing computers, electronics, office products, paper goods, food, and agricultural products from Idaho. Major enterprises operating out of Idaho, including Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard Company, have branches in Taiwan, he pointed out, and Taiwan firms have invested in electrical machinery and electronics equipment makers in Idaho. The president pointed to statistics showing that exports from Idaho to Taiwan in 2011 were valued at US$760 million, double the amount when Governor Otter first visited Taiwan in 2008, and Idaho has operated the Idaho-Asia Trade Office in Taiwan for over 20 years, making it one of the oldest American State Offices Association offices here.
President Ma explained to the visitors that Taiwan and the United States have strong ties, and the relationship is now better than at any time since 1979. In addition to close cooperation in the area of security, he said, the United States in October of last year announced that it would include Taiwan in its Visa Waiver Program (VWP). On November 1 the ROC formally became the 37th nation to enjoy VWP courtesies, and the only one that does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with the United States, he stated. President Ma commented that ROC nationals each year make over 400,000 visits to the United States, which highlights our admiration for American culture and the warmth of the American people. He also noted that ROC nationals spend a lot of money in the United States, which reduces the trade imbalance between the two countries.
The president also mentioned that cherries, white peaches, wine, rainbow trout, and American Kobe beef from the Snake River Valley are all popular in Taiwan. President Ma stated that Taiwan registered 7.3 million visits from foreigners last year, and this number is expected to reach 10 million in 2016. With the increase in the number of tourists here, the demand for agricultural products from Idaho is sure to rise, he said, expressing confidence that this will foster further development in bilateral trade.
President Ma stated that Idaho possesses advanced technology in the area of clean energy, both nuclear and geothermal. It is a big user of geothermal energy and a world leader in geothermal technology, trailing only Iceland, he said. The president pointed out that the Idaho Capitol Building back in 1892 built a geothermal power generation and heating system that was the first of its kind in the world. President Ma mentioned that Taiwan has abundant geothermal energy, but only exploits it near the surface. The Executive Yuan's National Science Council, however, is aggressively exploring geothermal resources to make Taiwan energy-independent, he said.
The president stressed that Governor Otter during this visit signed the Taiwan-Idaho Green Energy Industrial Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs on the joint development of geothermal power generation here. President Ma said he expects that Idaho's advanced technology and expertise in this field will help Taiwan find suitable sources of geothermal power for development here.
In addition to Governor Otter, the delegation included Idaho Department of Commerce Director Jeffery Sayer and Department of Agriculture Director Celia R. Gould. The three-member delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Christopher J. Marut and Idaho-Asia Trade Office Representative Eddie Yen (顏銀德) to meet 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 Ting Joseph Shih (石定).