President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of December 31 with a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians. In addition to welcoming the group to Taiwan, the president also called for continued strengthening of bilateral interaction and cooperation.
In remarks, President Ma stated that this was the fourth group of parliamentarians from Canada to visit Taiwan in 2013, and that the group included parliamentarians from several parties, all of whom are quite influential. Peter Goldring, the leader of the delegation, is a member of the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, the president remarked. He added that Mr. Goldring, who was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997, has won re-election six times and has 16 years of experience in the body, making him a very senior figure in Canada's parliament.
President Ma said that substantive relations between Taiwan and Canada in recent years have seen progress in a variety of areas. For each of the past two years, he noted, bilateral trade has reached nearly C$6 billion. In 2012, Taiwan was Canada's fourth largest trading partner in Asia and its 14th largest in the world. As for people-to-people contacts, the two nations in April 2010 signed the Taiwan-Canada Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Mobility (i.e. a working holiday agreement), he said, noting that in November of the same year Canada announced that it would begin offering visa-free entry to ROC nationals. In addition, the president stated, Taiwan and Canada in November 2013 signed a revised aviation agreement that increases the number of weekly flights that Taiwan carriers can operate to Canada from 13 to 17, and this number will be increased further to 21 in two years. There are no restrictions on cargo flights, and the relaxation on both of these fronts will be very conducive to promoting bilateral tourism as well as economic and trade relations, he commented.
President Ma mentioned that moments after he won the presidential elections here in 2008 and 2012, he received congratulatory messages from Canada's minister of foreign affairs. In addition, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also dispatched congratulatory delegations to attend the inauguration ceremonies here in each instance, he noted. This, the president said, constituted concrete action indicating support for Taiwan's efforts to implement the concepts of democracy and freedom, and furthermore highlighted the fact that the two countries share a commitment to the same universal values.
As for economic and trade ties, President Ma stated, in April 2013 the two countries held the ninth annual Canada-Taiwan Economic Consultations, and during the meetings Taiwan and Canada discussed an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement. The president called on the visitors to support the signing of such accords, which he said will promote bilateral economic and trade ties.
President Ma emphasized that three years ago Taiwan and mainland China signed the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in June of this year inked the Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement. This was followed in July by the signing of the Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation (ANZTEC) and then in November of the Agreement between Singapore and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Partnership (ASTEP). All of these developments show Taiwan's determination to embrace free trade, he said. The president pointed out that Canada has already formally begun negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), adding that he hopes that Canada will be able to assist and support Taiwan in its effort to join the TPP. He also expressed hope that efforts will continue to be made to expand and add depth to bilateral cooperation and interaction.