President Ma Ying-jeou, who is leading a delegation to diplomatic allies in South America and the Caribbean on a trip codenamed Project Congratulations and Friendship, arrived at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport at 5:00 p.m. on August 11 local time (5:00 a.m. on August 12 Taipei time). Representative Pu-tsung King (金溥聰) of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt, boarded the president's aircraft upon arrival to welcome him to the United States. Shortly afterwards, President Ma and his entourage traveled to their hotel, and at 7:30 p.m. local time attended a welcome dinner hosted by overseas compatriots in the New York area.
In remarks during the banquet, the president stated that he earned his Master of Law degree from New York University in 1976. He then worked and married his wife, Chow Mei-ching (周美青) in New York. He said that he has many fond memories from the over two years that he lived in the city. The president mentioned that while it has been about seven years since he last visited New York, he is delighted to have the opportunity to again step on the soil there and dine with representatives of the area's overseas compatriot community.
The president stated that overseas compatriots maintain a close bond with the ROC, adding that without overseas compatriots there would not be an ROC. President Ma remarked that during the period when he studied in New York, he maintained close contact with the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA). He subsequently left New York to pursue a doctorate degree in Boston, and it was at that time that the ROC and the United States severed diplomatic relations. The president said that he served as the spokesperson for the CCBA of New England, making him responsible for taking part in televised debates and delivering addresses at universities. This points to the close interaction at that time between overseas compatriots and students from Taiwan studying in the United States, he stated.
In discussing the state of Taiwan's economy, the president noted that over the past five years the global economy has grown at an annual rate of only 1.9%, but Taiwan's economic growth has maintained a 3% pace of growth, ranking it second among Asia's four little dragons. In addition, the misery index (unemployment rate plus inflation rate) and the wealth gap in Taiwan are the lowest among the four little dragons, he said. Furthermore, the president stated, Switzerland's International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in its World Competitiveness Yearbook 2013 released in this May ranked Taiwan as the third most competitive economy in Asia, which shows that Taiwan is not losing its competitive edge. As long as Taiwan continues to work hard, its prospects remain quite bright, he commented. The president expressed confidence that three major engines of growth—initiating free economic pilot zones, strengthening the expansion of exports, and expanding investment in public works—will effectively promote further domestic economic growth.
President Ma also explained the progress in Taiwan's relations with the United States, mainland China, and Japan. He said that security and economic cooperation between Taiwan and the United States is now closer than in 1979 when diplomatic ties were severed. He pointed out that the two sides resumed negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in March of this year, while in November of last year Taiwan became the 37th participant in the US Visa Waiver Program, making the ROC the only nation in the program with which the United States does not maintain formal diplomatic ties.
As for the improvement in cross-strait relations, President Ma further stated, interaction between the two sides continues to be promoted on the basis of the "1992 Consensus," whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. He mentioned that the two sides have signed 19 agreements and that their relationship is the most stable it has been since the two sides came under separate rule in 1949. Substantive results in this regard include an average of 86 scheduled cross-strait flights each day, while the number of mainland Chinese students studying in Taiwan and mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan have increased from 800 and 200,000 in 2007 to 20,000 and 2.5 million today, respectively. This indicates that the killing fields of old have now been transformed into avenues of peace, and ways to cooperate are being found. The president specifically noted that the government will continue negotiating with mainland China on an agreement on trade in goods. It will also seek to further enhance interaction between the two sides, with the hope of ultimately establishing representative offices on each side. Taiwan, he added, also intends to stage a comprehensive review of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.
President Ma stressed that the improvement in cross-strait relations has also helped to enhance the relationship between Taiwan and Japan. These improved relations have enabled Taiwan and Japan to sign the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, an open skies agreement, and the Patent Prosecution Highway Memorandum of Understanding. The president further pointed out that this year the two sides signed a fisheries agreement, which marked a milestone in relations between the two sides. Under this accord, Taiwanese fisherman can operate in areas around the Diaoyutai Islets and nearby waters that are twice the size of Taiwan without interference by Japanese authorities, he said. This agreement achieved the objective of "not ceding an inch on sovereignty issues, but making great progress in terms of fishing rights," the president stated. President Ma also said that he recently received a letter of gratitude from the proprietor of a Japanese restaurant in the Xinyi District of Taipei City, who indicated that the fisheries agreement has enabled his establishment to obtain fish at cheaper prices and higher quality.
The president also explained that in July of this year Taiwan and New Zealand signed the Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation (ANZTEC). He noted that talks between Taiwan and Singapore on a similar agreement are ongoing, adding that he is confident that efforts in this respect will create the conditions conducive to Taiwan eventually being able to enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The president then turned the topic to important developments in Taiwan, such as the shooting of the Taiwanese Guang Da Xing No. 28 fishing boat by a Philippine government vessel, the death of army corporal Hong Zhongqiu (洪仲丘), and the proposal by the opposition parties to hold a conference on national affairs.
President Ma stated that regarding the Guang Da Xing No. 28 shooting incident, the government immediately lodged a protest and issued four demands to the Philippines. It also imposed 11 economic sanctions after its demands were not met. However, Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III on August 8 finally dispatched special emissary Amadeo R. Perez, Jr. to Liuqiu Township in Pingtung County to pay his respects and apologize to the family of the fisherman killed in the incident. The National Investigation Bureau of the Philippines also recognized that the shooting of the Guang Da Xing No. 28 constituted a homicide case and recommended that prosecutors in the Philippines bring charges against eight Philippine coast guard personnel. This, the president stated, proves that the results of the investigation initially carried out by ROC authorities were accurate.
President Ma also mentioned that the unfortunate death of corporal Hong Zhongqiu due to blatantly illegal treatment was extremely regrettable and that the military prosecutor has filed charges. Nonetheless, public skepticism remains quite high, so after careful consideration, it was decided that certain types of cases that have until now been tried by military tribunals will be heard in the future by civilian courts. This will enable military and non-military suspects in the incident to be tried in the same type of court, he said, which better corresponds to the needs of a modern nation. This reform will help to bring the military justice system in step with the times, and will also ensure the rights of military personnel without sacrificing the efficiency and discipline of the military justice system, the president said. This will enhance morale and confidence in the military, while ensuring that the dignity of the military is maintained and that its contributions are not negated.
Lastly, President Ma stressed again that he is willing to hold a meeting with the leaders of the opposition parties. He pointed out that former chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on the eve of his departure on this trip demanded that the government must first express its intention to halt the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. In response, the president stated that discussions can be held on any topic, but it is inappropriate to set any pre-conditions for a meeting, otherwise every person will begin setting pre-conditions for any meeting, which would make it difficult for such meetings to be convened. In particular, he said, whether construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should come to a halt touches on more than just the issue of the construction of the plant, but rather the development of the nation's overall energy policy, so the government must, in accordance with the legal obligation that it work towards the goal of becoming a nuclear-free country, adopt appropriate methods to achieve a diverse energy mix and energy independence. It must ensure that there will be no power rationing, that electricity prices will remain reasonable, and that the nation will fulfill its commitment to the international community to reduce carbon emissions, the president commented.
Among those attending the activity were AIT Chairman Burghardt, National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), Minister of Health and Welfare Wen-Ta Chiu (邱文達), ROC Representative to the United States Pu-tsung King, ROC Legislators Lai Shyh-Bao (賴士葆), Liao Cheng-Ching (廖正井), Ma Wen-Chun (馬文君), Chen Shu-Huey (陳淑慧), and CCBA of New York Chairman Paul K. Ng (吳國基).