President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 3 with a delegation led by US Congressman Steve Chabot, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. In addition to welcoming Congressman Chabot and his colleagues to Taiwan, the president expressed hope that friends in the United States will continue to help Taiwan join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) at an early date.
In remarks, President Ma first thanked Congressman Chabot for his efforts on behalf of Taiwan. The president stated that Congressman Chabot was one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus when it was established in 2002, and said he is the staunchest friend and supporter that Taiwan has.
President Ma commented that since taking office he has embraced a "low key, no surprises" approach to Taiwan's ties with the United States, and has worked to keep the United States fully updated on the state of Taiwan's relations with both the United States and mainland China. This approach has resolved a previous bottleneck in bilateral ties and moved them forward on a basis of mutual trust. The president said that this policy is also in part responsible for former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statement that Taiwan is an important security and economic partner of the United States.
President Ma noted that the United States has sold over US$18 billion worth of arms to Taiwan over the past five years, a high-water mark since 1979 in terms of both frequency and quantity. In addition, the United States has included Taiwan in its Visa Waiver Program, which marks a milestone in relations between the two sides, he said. And the two governments also maintain close cooperation and share a common stance on many matters, such as efforts to prevent terrorism, human trafficking, and nuclear proliferation, the president stated.
The president mentioned that early this year Taiwan and the United States revised their bilateral Agreement on Privileges, Exemptions and Immunities, enabling ROC personnel stationed in the United States to enjoy comprehensive protections. In addition, he noted, last October Taiwan's representation in the United States was able to hold a reception at the Twin Oaks estate in Washington, DC to mark the nation's Double Tenth Day. Also, a number of important American officials have visited Taiwan over the past two years, he said. All these developments highlight the increasingly friendly state of relations between Taiwan and the United States, he added.
With respect to the improvement in cross-strait relations in recent years, President Ma stated, 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 the 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. To date, the two sides have signed 18 agreements, thus effectively reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and helping to forge peace in East Asia, the president said. This is in distinct contrast to the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula, he pointed out, which further points to Taiwan's contributions to regional peace.
President Ma reiterated that he unveiled his East China Sea Peace Initiative in a bid to resolve the sovereignty controversy over the Diaoyutai Islets. This initiative calls for the concerned parties to use peaceful means to resolve the dispute. The president stated that on April 10 this year Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement under which the two countries have agreed to jointly maintain and manage specific fishing areas. This will enable fishermen from both sides to operate without interference, he commented, adding that the agreement is a crystallization of the concept that "national sovereignty cannot be divided, but natural resources can be shared." The president expressed confidence that a significant step has been made toward peace in the East China Sea.
President Ma also expressed appreciation to Congressman Chabot and the other representatives for their support for Taiwan's participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization, and for continuing to provide assistance to Taiwan in its effort to join the TPP.
In addition to Subcommittee Chairman Chabot, other members of the delegation included Democratic Party Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Eni Faleomavaega and Republican Party Subcommittee Staff Director Kevin Fitzpatrick. The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Director Christopher J. Marut of the American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office 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 Ting Joseph Shih (石定).