President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of April 18 with Robert S. Wang, Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) from the US State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. The president extended a warm welcome to Mr. Wang on his visit to Taiwan and briefed him on progress in Taiwan-US relations, as well as the concrete action Taiwan is taking to participate in regional economic integration.
In remarks, President Ma stated that this marks Mr. Wang's second visit to Taiwan in his capacity as senior official for APEC since his appointment in August of last year, which shows the importance that the American administration places on cooperation with Taiwan under the framework of APEC. The president mentioned that Mr. Wang previously was stationed in Taiwan as the deputy director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and thus has a close friendship with counterparts in Taiwan.
President Ma said that after taking office six years ago he immediately began working actively to restore mutual trust between Taiwan and the United States at the highest levels of government. This year marks the 35th anniversary of passage of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), he noted, and on April 10, to mark the occasion, the AIT issued a press release that stated as follows: "Our unofficial yet strong relationship with Taiwan has never been better." In addition, President Ma said, Administrator Gina McCarthy of the Environmental Protection Agency recently visited Taiwan, marking the first time in 14 years that a Cabinet-level official from the US has visited Taiwan. All of these examples point to the significant progress in relations between Taiwan and the United States, and the increasingly close relationship between the two, the president commented.
President Ma said that, for the US, Taiwan is the 12th largest trading partner in goods and purchaser of agricultural products. In addition, the US is also Taiwan's largest source of foreign direct investment, which presently stands at a cumulative US$23 billion, he remarked. The president also noted that after the resolution of the dispute over imports of US beef to Taiwan two years ago, the United States and Taiwan in March of last year resumed negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which is increasing the possibility of the two sides signing a bilateral investment agreement.
As for Taiwan's efforts to participate in the process of regional economic integration, President Ma explained to Mr. Wang that in 2010 Taiwan and mainland China signed the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. The following year, he said, Taiwan signed the Bilateral Investment Arrangement with Japan, its second largest trading partner. Last year, Taiwan signed economic cooperation agreements with both New Zealand and Singapore, he stated, emphasizing that this series of agreements demonstrates to the international community Taiwan's determination to promote trade liberalization and its strong willingness to participate in regional economic integration. The president mentioned that in the future Taiwan hopes to create the conditions conducive for it to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He noted that these two trade blocks account for 34.4% (about US$240 billion) and 57% (about US$325 billion) of Taiwan's total trade, respectively. If Taiwan joins the TPP, he said, the bloc would then have 13 members and Taiwan would be the sixth largest economic entity in it.
President Ma recognized the efforts made on behalf of Taiwan by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez and House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce to assist with Taiwan's admission to the TPP. He added that US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel and Deputy Assistant Secretary Kin Moy have also said at Congressional hearings that they would welcome Taiwan's membership in the TPP. The president also expressed his appreciation in this regard and said he hopes that Mr. Wang can also aid in Taiwan's admission to the agreement.
President Ma also mentioned that thanks to the support of the United States, Taiwan is now again able to attend the World Health Assembly and the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization, bodies that it was absent from for 38 and 42 years, respectively. This, he said, bears important significance in Taiwan's participation in the international community.
Lastly, President Ma mentioned that in the course of Taiwan's participation in the international community, it deeply hopes to contribute to global peace. It was with this in mind that he unveiled his East China Sea Peace Initiative and made his Statement on East China Sea Airspace Security, adding that he hopes the East China Sea can become a sea of peace and cooperation. The president also pointed out that Taiwan has signed a fisheries agreement with Japan and an agreement with the Philippines governing the conduct of law enforcement at sea. At the same time, he said, Taiwan has provided assistance to both Japan and the Philippines after each was hit by a natural disaster, which again emphasizes Taiwan's willingness to play the role of "peacemaker" and "provider of humanitarian aid" in the international community. Taiwan hopes to become an asset to the international community, and these actions attest to such, he stated.