President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of January 20 with a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians.
In remarks, the president noted that delegation co-leader Dominic LeBlanc is a Canadian House of Commons Member who has served as the Liberal Party's critic for national defense, foreign affairs, and justice, while the other co-leader, Senator James Cowan, is a former Opposition Whip who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Both of these MPs have a wealth of experience in the political arena, the president said.
President Ma pointed out that in recent years significant progress has been seen in substantive relations and cooperation between Taiwan and Canada. Over the past two years, he said, bilateral trade each year has reached nearly C$6 billion. In 2012, the president noted, Taiwan was Canada's 14th largest trading partner in the world and its fourth largest in Asia, behind only mainland China, Japan, and South Korea. As for people-to-people ties, he mentioned, Taiwan and Canada in 2010 signed a youth working holiday agreement and in November of the same year the Canadian government announced its decision to grant visa-free entry to ROC nationals. This measure, he said, sparked a rise of over 15% in the number of Taiwanese making visits to Canada. Canada also ranks fifth in popularity among Taiwanese as a destination to study overseas, he remarked. Furthermore, Taiwan and Canada in November of last year signed a new aviation agreement that increases the number of weekly flights from Taiwan to Canada from 13 to 17, and this number is expected to rise to 21 next year, with no limits placed on cargo flights, he stated, adding that these developments will do much to promote bilateral tourism as well as economic and trade ties.
As for economic and trade issues, President Ma stated, after a long period of discussion and observation, Taiwan is satisfied that Canadian beef is produced in accordance with regulations set forth by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Trade Organization. Taiwan has therefore followed the lead of 57 other nations—including Japan, Korea, and members of the European Union—by deciding to lift its ban on the import of Canadian beef on the bone. Moreover, the president said, during last year's ninth annual Canada-Taiwan Economic Consultations, the two sides discussed an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement. He called on the visitors to support the signing of such accords, and expressed hope the two sides can sign a free trade agreement, which would enhance economic and trade interaction.
President Ma emphasized that 2014 will be a critical year for Taiwan in its quest to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Agreement (RCEP). The president explained that in 2012 the volume of trade between Taiwan and the 12 members of the TPP made up 36% of Taiwan's total trade, while its trade with the 16 members of the RCEP accounted for 57% of Taiwan's overall trade. This highlights the important need for Taiwan to join these two economic partnership agreements, he said. In particular, Canada has already formally entered negotiations to join the TPP, he noted, further expressing hope that Canada in the future will support Taiwan's entry into the TPP, which would further deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation.
Lastly, President Ma asked the members of the delegation to forward an invitation to Leader of the Liberal Party Justin Trudeau to visit Taiwan. Such a visit would further enhance the understanding of Taiwan by the Liberal Party, he said.