During a meeting on the afternoon of October 29 with a delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated the hopes of the ROC to start negotiating an economic cooperation agreement with the European Union (EU) as soon as possible to further deepen economic and trade ties.
In remarks, the president noted that the European Parliament on October 24 passed the Annual Report from the European Council to the European Parliament on the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which includes a resolution that is extremely friendly to Taiwan. The president noted that the annual report again recognizes the contributions made by Taiwan to cross-strait relations and regional security, and reiterates support for meaningful participation for Taiwan in international organizations and activities. The report also urges EU and Taiwan to negotiate an economic cooperation agreement. President Ma expressed his deepest appreciation for the European Parliament's long-term support for Taiwan.
The president remarked that the EU has 28 member states, and the resolutions passed by the European Parliament have done much to help Taiwan participate in international activities. For instance, he said, in September of this year, a representative from Taiwan was invited by the president of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to attend the organization's 38th Assembly in Montreal, Canada as a special guest. This marked the first time since the ROC lost its representation in the United Nations (UN) 42 years ago that it had attended the assembly, which made this extremely significant, he remarked. President Ma said that Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, welcomed this development. This, the president commented, clearly showed the world community the EU's support for Taiwan. President Ma added that the government and people of Taiwan will always remember this gesture.
As for economic and trade ties, the president noted, the EU is Taiwan's fourth largest trading partner in the world, while Taiwan is the EU's seventh largest trading partner in Asia, with trade last year reaching US$48.6 billion. In addition, he said, the cumulative stock of investments by European companies in Taiwan amounts to over US$32 billion, making Europe the largest source of foreign direct investment in Taiwan.
The president then addressed the European Parliament's resolution of this past October 9 on EU-Taiwan trade relations, which urges the EU to launch parallel negotiations for bilateral agreements on investment protection and market access in order to strengthen further the legal certainty of investments. President Ma said that bilateral trade and economic ties have advanced to the point where an investment protection agreement or economic cooperation agreement would certainly yield benefits. He pointed out that a Danish think tank produced a research report that said the signing of a free trade agreement or a similar economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and the EU would increase the two sides' GDP by over 10 billion euro.
President Ma further stated that Taiwan has entered into fewer free trade agreements than other countries, so he has sought to step up the pace in this respect since taking office in 2008. The government, he said, has signed the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with mainland China as well as the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, and has resumed negotiations with the United States under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). In addition, the president pointed out, Taiwan and New Zealand in July this year signed the Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation (ANZTEC). He also noted that Taiwan and Singapore are in the final stages of negotiations on an economic cooperation agreement. This proves that Taiwan is actively working to expand its trade and economic ties with its major trading partners, he said, adding that he hopes to begin negotiations with the EU on a similar accord as soon as possible.
The president then mentioned Taiwan's efforts to promote regional peace. He said that while Taiwan has had fisheries disputes with Japan to the north and the Philippines to the south, both of these issues were resolved peacefully this year. He pointed out that Taiwan and Japan in April signed a fisheries agreement that signals the shelving of a sovereignty dispute. The agreement is especially meaningful, he said, because it succeeds in "not ceding an inch on sovereignty, but making great progress in terms of fishing rights." The president also mentioned the Guang Da Xing No. 28 shooting incident in May, in which a Taiwanese fishing boat came under fire from a Philippine government vessel, damaging the fishing boat and resulting in the death of a Taiwanese fisherman. President Ma stated that the government's position here was resolute from the start, and ultimately the Philippine side agreed to issue a formal apology, provide compensation, and punish those responsible. He noted that both sides have also begun fisheries negotiations, adding that while an agreement has yet to be signed, both sides have reached an understanding that neither will unilaterally enforce laws through the use of force without first notifying the other side of its intentions, and crew members should be released as soon as possible in the event a vessel is boarded, crew members are arrested, or a vessel is detained. This accords with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the president stated, which shows that both sides will use peaceful means and act in accordance with international law to settle disputes.
As for fishing disputes between Taiwan and mainland China, President Ma commented, both sides are currently engaged in negotiations, and he hopes to establish a joint conservation and management area to protect fishing resources and help reduce unnecessary friction.
President Ma believes that the government, in working to improve cross-strait relations, has also strengthened Taiwan's relations with the international community. He pointed out that the relationship between Taiwan and the EU is presently the best it has been since the EU was established. Now that the cross-strait relationship has shifted from hostility to reconciliation, he stressed, Taiwan's relations with both the international community and mainland China can change from a "vicious cycle" to a "virtuous cycle."
The president stated that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait used to engage in confrontation in the international arena, but now they have stopped trying to lure away each other's diplomatic allies. Relations have gotten better in many areas, and though there remains room for further improvement, efforts now being made should give Taiwan's friends in Europe even more faith in Taiwan, he commented, adding that, "After all, if Beijing is willing to improve its relationship with Taiwan, what are our friends in Europe waiting for?" Consequently, the president called for continued deepening of ties with the EU, which would bring even greater wellbeing to people on both sides.
The delegation included European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee First Vice-Chair Fiorello Provera, Third Vice-Chair Andrey Kovatchev, Vice-Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the United States Niki Tzavela, and Member of the European Parliament Jacek Wlosowicz. The group was escorted to the Presidential Office by 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 Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊).