President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of August 23 with a delegation from the US Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). The president praised and thanked the members of the delegation for their longstanding support for the development of relations between Taiwan and the United States.
In remarks, the president stated that Congresswoman Judy Chu (趙美心), who is the chairwoman of the CAPAC, is making her first visit to Taiwan in her capacity as a member of the House of Representatives. This marks the second visit to Taiwan by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, who is the vice chairwoman of the CAPAC, during his presidency, he said, adding that he and Congressman Bordallo previously also met in Guam. The two congresswomen have long been friends to Taiwan and the president cordially welcomed them to Taiwan on behalf of the government and people of the ROC.
President Ma mentioned that he had recently concluded an 11-day visit to five of the ROC's allies in South America and the Caribbean, and during his transit stops in New York on the outbound and Los Angeles on his return he either spoke over the phone or had meals with a number of US congress members, including Senator Robert Menendez (chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), Representative Ed Royce (chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs), Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs), Representative Steve Chabot (chairman of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific), Representative Gregg Harper (chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress), and Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus). The president stated that all of these lawmakers had expressed praise and support for the ROC's East China Sea Peace Initiative, the signing of a fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan, the peaceful resolution of the Guang Da Xing No. 28 shooting incident in which a Philippine coast guard vessel shot at a Taiwanese fishing boat, and other efforts by Taiwan to promote regional peace and security.
With respect to relations between Taiwan and the United States, the president stated, since taking office in 2008 he has pursued a policy of "low key, no surprises" in Taiwan's interaction with the United States, which has re-established mutual trust between the two sides and won the respect of the United States. President Ma commented that on his most recent trip overseas, during transit stops in the United States he and his delegation were accorded a high-level reception, and the range of topics discussed far exceeded his expectations. He stated that this helped promote cooperation between the two sides in security, economic relations, and other areas.
President Ma furthermore stated that the approach of Tropical Storm Trami prompted him to cut short his stop in Los Angeles and return to Taiwan early to direct disaster preparedness work here. Still, he said, he made the most of his six hours on the ground there, attending a meal with representatives of the overseas compatriot community and important American officials, which enhanced mutual understanding and friendly relations.
The president also mentioned that Congresswoman Chu and Congresswoman Bordallo have long supported Taiwan's efforts to maintain peace in the East China Sea and South China Sea. He pointed out that recent reports in the media have indicated that during a meeting between mainland Chinese Minister of Defense Chang Wanquan (常萬全) and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Mr. Chang suggested that the United States halt sales of weapons to Taiwan and establish a joint task force to discuss this issue. The two congresswomen with whom he is meeting today, the president said, immediately reiterated their resolute stance that US arms sales to Taiwan will continue, for which he expressed his appreciation.
President Ma said that Congresswoman Chu is the first female ethnic Chinese representative in the US House of Representatives and has made an important contribution in generating higher visibility for the ethnic Chinese community among her congressional counterparts. For instance, she led a campaign to secure a formal apology for legislation in the past that was discriminatory against ethnic Chinese. Congresswoman Chu and colleagues achieved passage by the Senate (in October 2011) and the House (in June 2012) of resolutions expressing regret, which shows her genuine concern for minority groups.
The president told the visitors that Taiwan supports the "rebalancing toward Asia" policy of the United States and also desires to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. US President Barack Obama, when meeting with mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in California in June of this year, stressed that the United States strongly supports the improvement in relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. In fact, he said, since he took office Taiwan and mainland China have completed nine rounds of negotiations, signed 19 agreements, and reached consensus on two issues, effectively reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and maintaining peace in East Asia.
President Ma further explained that over the past five years the United States has sold Taiwan over US$18.3 billion worth of weapons. In addition, last year Taiwan and the United States resolved issues related to the import of US beef, and US beef now holds a 43% market share in Taiwan, making it the top supplier of beef here. The resolution of this issue has helped to enable negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) to resume, and much substantive has already been achieved. For instance, Taiwan and the United States have jointly released the Joint Statement on Principles for International Investment and the Joint Statement on Trade Principles for Information and Communication Technology Services. The president said that related work will continue under the TIFA umbrella.
With respect to Taiwan's participation in international organizations, President Ma thanked the two congresswomen for supporting House Bill No. 1151 that requires the US administration to support participation for Taiwan in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Their support was crucial to passage of this bill, which has been signed into law by President Obama. President Ma expressed hope that Taiwan will be able to join the ICAO this year.
The president mentioned that he unveiled the East China Sea Peace Initiative in August of last year, and in April of this year Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement which has resolved a 40-year dispute between the two nations. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs on April 25 this year presided over a hearing during which he twice commented positively on the agreement, President Ma said, expressing appreciation to the US for its support.
Lastly, the president stated that bilateral relations between the ROC and the United States are at their best state in 30 years. He also acknowledged the importance of the support by US lawmakers for the ROC, and called on the visitors to continue supporting legislation and initiatives that promote Taiwan-US relations, and to further enhance the bilateral cooperative relationship.
The visitors were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Director Brent Christensen of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ting Joseph Shih (石定) to meet 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).