President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of March 4 with University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and Principal Michael Spence. In addition to expressing his desire for enhanced cooperation and interaction between Taiwan and Australia in the economic sphere, the president also reiterated Taiwan's intention to promote peace and security in East Asia.
After extending a warm welcome to Vice-Chancellor Spence, President Ma noted that his visitor holds both doctorate and postgraduate diplomas from the University of Oxford and previously served as the head of the Social Sciences Division at Oxford as well as the head of the Law Faculty there for a number of years. Dr. Spence is a world-renowned scholar who has served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney since 2008. Furthermore, said the president, the University of Sydney is ranked as the 27th most reputable university in the world, and is especially strong in engineering and medicine. President Ma pointed out that in recent years the university has shifted its focus to the Asian region. In addition to running a United States Studies Centre, the institution also has established a China Studies Centre. This highlights the broad international perspective and vision of Vice-Chancellor Spence, the president said. He also commented that Taiwan is an important player in the Asian region, and expressed confidence that Vice-Chancellor Spence's visit to Taiwan will enhance Australia's understanding of the Asia-Pacific region.
President Ma stated that since he took office in 2008 the government has worked to boost the number of overseas students studying in Taiwan. Over the past five-plus years, he said, the number of overseas students in Taiwan has risen from just 30,000 to a current 70,000, including 24,000 students from mainland China, and the overall number of overseas students studying in Taiwan is expected to reach 100,000 in two years. President Ma also commented that, in order to cultivate educators for polytech universities, over the next 10 years a number of Asian nations—including India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam—intend to send over 4,000 academics to Taiwan to study on national scholarships. These individuals will further their studies at polytech universities and graduate schools here.
Turning to the topic of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, President Ma noted that trade between Taiwan and Australia stands at A$11.4 billion. Taiwan is Australia's 16th largest trading partner, and the two countries have signed 39 agreements covering a wide range of areas, second only to the number of agreements between Taiwan and the United States. This highlights the close relationship between Taiwan and Australia, the president said. At the same time, he mentioned, Taiwan and New Zealand signed the ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement last year, followed by the signing of the ASTEP economic partnership agreement between Taiwan and Singapore. These two accords, he said, will boost Taiwan's trade with New Zealand and Singapore. With this in mind, the president expressed hope that Taiwan and Australia can strengthen their bilateral economic cooperation as soon as possible, which would bolster the relationship between the two countries.
President Ma also noted that cross-strait relations have been steadily improving since he took office. As of the end of February this year, the two sides had signed 21 agreements. In addition to reducing tension between the two sides, he said, this has also increased interaction between the people of Taiwan and mainland China. The president stated that Wang Yu-Chi (王郁琦), Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, and his mainland Chinese counterpart Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), Minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, formally met in mid-February and referred to each other using their official titles. This, the president commented, marked the first time that such a meeting has ever taken place between the two sides, and marks an important milestone in cross-strait ties.
With respect to foreign trade and economic ties, President Ma emphasized that the government is actively pursuing opportunities to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. He pointed out that some 70% of Taiwan's economic growth is derived from exports and Taiwan must therefore participate in regional economic integration to stimulate its economy.
Lastly, President Ma reiterated that Taiwan desires to act as a peacemaker and provider of humanitarian aid in the East Asian region. He noted that Taiwan on February 26 issued the Statement on East China Sea Air Space Security, expressing its hope that the East Asian countries would, in the spirit of the East China Sea Peace Initiative, abide by the principles of international law and seek peaceful resolutions to disputes related to overlapping air defense identification zones. This, he said, would help to relieve the escalating tensions in the East China Sea.