President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of October 11 with the delegation that represented the ROC at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Week. The president thanked former Vice President Vincent C. Siew (蕭萬長), who headed the delegation as the Leader's Representative at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM), and the rest of the delegation, for their hard work. He also recognized the groundbreaking achievements of the delegation with respect to cross-strait relations and ties with the international community.
In remarks, the president stated that the APEC Economic Leaders' Week attracted close worldwide scrutiny, because we are seeing mixed signals regarding global economic recovery, and because Asia-Pacific nations have become the engine of global economic growth. President Ma stated that former Vice President Siew worked hard to communicate with other officials at the event and familiarize them with the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan, financial assistance measures, and other areas in which Taiwan is especially strong. The other members of the delegation also spared no effort in carrying out their duties during the event, the president said, adding that the public is deeply appreciative.
As for the achievements of the delegation at this year's event, President Ma noted, former Vice President Siew and mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) held discussions, during which they discussed cross-strait relations and expressed hope that the relationship can continue to move forward in a peaceful manner. The president stated that during the meeting with US Secretary of State John F. Kerry, former Vice President Siew stated his hope that Taiwan and the United States will, in the wake of the resumption of negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in March of this year, step up discussions on a bilateral investment agreement. Former Vice President Siew, the president said, also expressed Taiwan's desire to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership once the conditions are ripe. President Ma pointed out that former Vice President Siew's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lasted longer than expected. The two sides exchanged opinions on recent political and economic developments in Taiwan and Japan, and reached consensus on a variety of topics, the president remarked. Former Vice President Siew reiterated that while the ROC and Japan do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, they do have a "special partnership," said the president. Bilateral economic, trade, and investment relations are extremely close, and the two nations have frequent people-to-people dealings, President Ma stated. Former Vice President Siew expressed hope that the two nations can achieve breakthroughs in their economic and trade relationship. The president noted that former Vice President Siew also held informal discussions with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
President Ma opined that while APEC is a regional and multilateral forum, bilateral dialogues carried out at the event are just as important as the multilateral discussions. APEC is an important platform for Taiwan, he said, for it helps us, in our relations with mainland China and the international community, to move forward on both fronts simultaneously.
The president also mentioned that entrepreneurs from the ROC who have participated in the APEC Business Advisory Council over the years have always distinguished themselves there. He noted that many of the ideas brought up by the ROC representatives during this year's meeting were broadly welcomed by other participants. This demonstrates that this year's meetings, both from the standpoint of official and non-official interaction, yielded positive developments, the president commented.
Former Vice President Siew then made remarks, first thanking President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with the delegation. Former Vice President Siew also forwarded the best regards of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the host nation Indonesia to President Ma. Former Vice President Siew stated that although Bali is one of the world's top tourist destinations, the members of the delegation spent their time and energy on the APEC meetings and hardly had a moment to relax. The former vice president compiled notes about the events, as well as the highlights of speeches delivered, into a report that he presented the president.
Shortly after the meeting, the delegation held a press conference at the Presidential Office, and former Vice President Siew explained what took place over the course of the week-long meetings and the resulting achievements. He also accepted questions from the media.
Former Vice President Siew first commented that this year's APEC meetings came to a conclusion on October 8 and that the ROC delegation achieved an enormous amount during the event. The work of the ROC delegation, he said, was recognized by the president of the host nation, who expressed his appreciation. In addition, the former vice president mentioned, discussions during the meetings covered all of the economic and trade issues currently facing the Asia-Pacific region. During the meeting, the Bali Declaration (the 2013 APEC Economic Leaders' Declaration) was made, and focused on three major topics, namely: supporting the multilateral trading system and attaining the Bogor Goals, promoting connectivity, and sustainable growth with equity.
The former vice president stated that the 9th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference will be held at the end of this year in Bali to review the Doha round and release a statement on its achievements. Consequently, the APEC Economic Leaders issued a declaration on the upcoming WTO Ministerial in which they unveiled the "Bali Package" and expressed support for the Doha round talks in a bid to help further implement trade liberalization, he said.
Former Vice President Siew emphasized that as Taiwan is a member of the WTO, it will enjoy the benefits of a successful Doha round. As a result, the negotiations are extremely important to Taiwan, he pointed out.
He also explained that new functions and mechanisms were established during this year's meetings with respect to infrastructure, systems, and interaction. The former vice president noted that during the meetings, the participants agreed on infrastructure development and investment projects that will help enhance connectivity among the 21 economic entities in APEC.
Former Vice President Siew echoed President Ma's statement during his National Day Address on October 10 that emphasized the need for Taiwan to work toward the goal of becoming a "free economic island." He also mentioned that the APEC meetings are quite important for Taiwan, as they help to enhance Taiwan's trade and economic relationships with mainland China and other major trading partners, and enable all sides to understand one another's needs. The meetings also offer Taiwan an opportunity to display its efforts and determination to promote trade liberalization and its desire to create the momentum for support among other countries for Taiwan to participate in regional economic integration and join the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Among those attending the meeting were Minister without Portfolio Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔, serving concurrently as Minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development), Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council Wang Yu-Chi (王郁琦), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General John C. C. Deng (鄧振中), and National Policy Advisors to the President Yen-Shiang Shih (施顏祥) and Chan Hou-Sheng (詹火生). Former Vice President Siew led the delegation 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), National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生), and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂).