President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of October 22 with a delegation from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) from the United States. The president expressed hope that Taiwan and the United States can sign an extradition agreement, which he said would further increase judicial cooperation between the two sides.
In remarks, President Ma commented that the NAAG has a history that dates back 100 years. Most of its members have been elected, and are active in public affairs not only at the state level, but in some cases have gone on to be elected to the US House of Representatives or Senate, or even as president, and thus play an important role in American society. The association, he stated, maintains close ties with Taiwan. Each year the NAAG invites prosecutors from Taiwan to attend its annual conference in the summer and also its International Fellows Program.
President Ma stated that when he served as Minister of Justice he was invited to attend the organization's annual conference in 1994 in San Antonio, Texas. He delivered an address during the conference that focused on Taiwan's efforts in waging war against drugs, and spoke on Taiwan's experience in uncovering the world's second largest haul of smuggled heroin. The president added that other topics discussed at the conference included domestic violence, drugs, and gun control. He said attending the conference left a deep impression on him.
The president stated that the ROC is a peace-loving nation that over the past year has used peaceful measures to resolve several international disputes. For instance, in April of this year Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement that resolved a 40-year fisheries dispute and effectively shelved the sovereignty dispute between the two countries, enabling fishermen from the two nations to operate in a zone that is under joint conservation and management. In addition, in May of this year persons on a Philippine government vessel shot at a Taiwanese fishing boat operating in overlapping exclusive economic waters, damaging the fishing boat and killing a Taiwanese fisherman. After over three months of efforts to resolve the situation, the government here ultimately secured justice for the family of the victim. The Philippine side issued an apology and provided compensation and brought charges against those responsible for the incident, and both sides immediately began preparatory work for the signing of a fishing agreement. In addition, he said, Taiwan and the Philippines have established a mechanism whereby they notify each other before enforcing various laws so that the use of force can be avoided. President Ma said that the initial objective of the ROC in this regard has been achieved.
President Ma emphasized that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared." He said the ROC has consistently embraced this policy in handling marine and resource disputes, with the hope of reducing the impact on regional peace and helping to promote bilateral relationships.
As for relations between Taiwan and the United States, the president stated, the two sides have achieved enormous progress over the past five years. He commented that security cooperation is extremely stable. In addition, he noted, the United States in November of last year formally included Taiwan in the US Visa Waiver Program. And in early October, former Vice President Vincent C. Siew (蕭萬長), who attended the 21st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on his behalf, engaged in bilateral discussions with US Secretary of State John F. Kerry, and the two exchanged in-depth opinions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. President Ma added that this marks the second consecutive year that the leaders' representatives from Taiwan and the United States have held bilateral discussions during the APEC meetings, which is extremely significant.
President Ma further stated that in February of this year Taiwan and the United States completed the most comprehensive revision of the Agreement on Privileges, Exemptions and Immunities since 1980, providing greater protections to each side's diplomats. The president stated that during his tenure as Minister of Justice, Taiwan and the United States already engaged in cooperation on judicial affairs in which American fugitives apprehended in Taiwan were sent back to the United States. Consequently, he expressed hope that on this basis Taiwan and the United States can sign an extradition agreement to deter fugitives from committing crimes in each other's territories.
The president mentioned that since he took office in 2008 Taiwan has participated in the World Health Assembly for five consecutive years. In addition, just last month, it sent a representative to attend the assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Canada. President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, expressed his deepest appreciation to the United States for the assistance it has provided in enabling Taiwan to participate in these organizations. He also called for continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation and interaction.
Among those in the visiting delegation were Attorney General of Arkansas Dustin McDaniel, Attorney General of Guam Leonardo M. Rapadas, Attorney General of Hawaii David M. Louie, and Attorney General of Maine Janet T. Mills. The group was led by Attorney General of Wisconsin J.B. Van Hollen, and was accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Deputy Director Brent Christensen to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Jacob Chang (張大同), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ting Joseph Shih (石定), and Deputy Minister of Justice Wu Chen-huan (吳陳鐶).