After completing a visit to two of the ROC's allies in Central America—Panama and El Salvador, President Ma Ying-jeou at 3:50 p.m. on July 3 local time (6:50 a.m. July 4 Taipei time) arrived at San Francisco International Airport.
After President Ma's chartered aircraft came to a stop, the ROC's Representative to the United States Lyushun Shen (沈呂巡) and American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt boarded the airplane to welcome him. The president then boarded a car that took him to his hotel. Waiting at the entrance to the hotel were overseas compatriots, who enthusiastically welcomed him.
At a banquet in the evening with overseas compatriots, President Ma stated that he first visited San Francisco in 1971 as part of a US Department of State program under which student leaders from the Asia-Pacific are invited to visit the United States. He explained that he spent three weeks in the San Francisco area at that time and saw firsthand the anti-war activities of students and the efforts by ethnic Chinese students studying in the United States to defend the sovereignty of the Diaoyutai Islets. The president said that after returning to Taiwan, he also participated in the movement to defend the Diaoyutais, adding that he took part in protests at the US and the Japanese embassies. President Ma mentioned that over the past four decades he has never wavered in his defense of the ROC's territory and sovereignty.
The president commented that as president of the ROC, foreign affairs and diplomacy are an important aspect of his administrative agenda, which is why, upon taking office six years ago, he instituted a "viable diplomacy" policy. The idea was to solidify the ROC's relationships with its allies while bolstering substantive relationships with countries with which it does not maintain formal ties. In addition, he said, foreign aid has been guided by the principle of "seeking proper goals, acting lawfully, and exercising effective administration."
President Ma further explained that apart from actively working to restore mutual trust at the highest levels with the United States since he assumed the presidency, he has also strived to improve cross-strait relations in order to achieve peace and prosperity. Substantive achievements have been seen on many fronts in this respect, he said. For instance, the United States in recent years has sold Taiwan arms worth a total of about US$18.3 billion, and two years ago the United States included Taiwan in its Visa Waiver Program, he remarked. The president further noted that last year Taiwan and the United States resumed negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. As for cross-strait relations, he said, the officials from each side responsible for cross-strait affairs made visits to the other in February and June of this year. The two sides have reached preliminary consensus on the following points: the two sides will establish representative offices; mainland Chinese travelers will be allowed to transit in Taiwan on their way to other destinations; and mainland China will cooperate with Taiwan in its efforts to participate in regional economic integration. The president commented that all of these developments indicate that the two sides are increasingly able to deal head-on with political realities.
As for the promotion of regional peace, President Ma stated, on August 5, 2012 he unveiled his East China Sea Peace Initiative, and in April of the following year Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement. Consequently, he said, the number of fishing disputes between the two sides fell to just one in the year after the signing of the agreement, compared with 17 in the year prior. In addition, the agreement provides significantly larger fishing grounds in which Taiwanese fishermen can operate, the president noted. Discussing the South China Sea, he mentioned that the Taiwan and Philippine governments jointly resolved the Guang Da Xing No. 28 fishing boat incident, in which a Philippine coast guard vessel fired shots at a Taiwanese fishing boat, damaging the vessel and killing a fisherman. The president stated that the two countries reached an agreement on the enforcement of laws in overlapping economic waters. The resolution offered justice to the Taiwanese fisherman, and also showed the international community that the ROC is reasonable in its demands but will not compromise on its principles, President Ma said. He added that the government will not give in on issues associated with national sovereignty and dignity, but will seek to find ways to resolve problems, and hopes that this approach will make the ROC's diplomatic work go more smoothly.
In discussing Taiwan's economy, President Ma stated that there has been gradual improvement since the beginning of this year. The unemployment rate in May fell to 3.85%, the lowest in six years, he said, adding that the official forecast for GDP growth this year is 2.92%. Looking ahead, the president remarked, the government will continue working to adjust Taiwan's industrial structure, expand its participation in regional economic integration, and liberalize its markets in an effort to boost Taiwan's economy.
Lastly, President Ma mentioned that upon taking office six years ago he hoped to bolster democracy, freedom, prosperity, and justice in Taiwan, work for cross-strait peace and friendly relations with the international community, and ensure that Taiwan is both an object of respect and a source of inspiration. Taiwan, he said, is actively working to act as a peacemaker, a provider of humanitarian aid, a promoter of cultural ties, a creator of new technologies and business opportunities, and a standard-bearer of Chinese culture. Thanks to the many years of efforts by the government, some of these goals have already been realized. Nonetheless, the government will make even more progress on these fronts, the president stressed.