President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 25 with a delegation led by American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt. In addition to updating his visitors on the current state of bilateral economic and trade ties, the president also expressed hope that nations bordering the South China Sea will refer to the principles in his East China Sea Peace Initiative to resolve the dispute in that area.
In remarks, President Ma commented that in the six years that he has been in office, the relationship between Taiwan and the United States has been quite stable. He said he is pleased that strong mutual trust exists at the highest levels, and that communications are quite smooth. The president stated that in April of this year the US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy came to Taiwan to witness the US-Taiwan joint establishment of the International Environmental Partnership, adding that this marked the first time in 14 years that a cabinet-level American official had visited Taiwan.
President Ma also noted that on August 14, US Secretary of State John Kerry delivered an address at the East-West Center in Hawaii during which he publicly applauded Taiwan's use of peaceful means to resolve fishing disputes with Japan in the waters surrounding the Diaoyutai Islets. In addition, the president said, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel has also repeatedly stated in public venues the US commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances it has made to Taiwan. President Ma expressed his appreciation for these gestures.
As for economic and trade ties, the president remarked, last year Taiwan and the United States resumed negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which is extremely significant to bilateral economic and trade ties. In addition, he said, Taiwan is interested in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the US Department of State and Office of the US Trade Representative have welcomed Taiwan's membership on a number of occasions. At the same time, the president noted, the two sides are discussing a bilateral investment agreement. Progress on these fronts is conducive to the development of bilateral trade and economic relations, he stated.
As for cross-strait relations, President Ma mentioned, the two sides have signed 21 agreements, and even though some of the agreements have yet to clear the legislative review process, relations between the two sides are still moving forward smoothly. For instance, he pointed out, Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) of mainland China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council visited Taiwan in June this year for discussions with his Taiwan counterpart on the establishment of representative offices on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, humanitarian visits, and economic and trade cooperation. In addition, the president said, negotiations on the Cross-Strait Trade in Goods Agreement were held in September.
President Ma explained to Chairman Burghardt that mainland China became Taiwan's largest export market and trading partner in 2003, and that this year it has replaced Japan as Taiwan's largest source of imports. Six years ago, Taiwan's total volume of exports to mainland China (including Hong Kong and Macau) comprised 40% of our overall trade, but this ratio has fallen to 39%, due mainly to the government's efforts to diversify Taiwan's export markets. Under this initiative, the percentage of Taiwan's trade with ASEAN nations has risen from 15% six years ago to 19% currently, he said. After last year's signing of the ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand, bilateral trade from December 2013 to April 2014 was up 30% over the year-ago period, the president stated. He also expressed hope that Taiwan can sign similar economic trade agreements with other countries.
The president then mentioned that after the signing of a fisheries agreement last year, Taiwan and Japan set up a fisheries committee that has negotiated subsequent issues, one of which was the designation of specific areas for fishing by fishermen from each nation at specific times. This, he said, has reduced fishing disputes between fishermen from the two countries, adding that fishermen from both Taiwan and Japan enjoyed a bountiful harvest from the seas around the Diaoyutai Islets last year. In addition, he remarked, talks were held with the Philippines on fishing disputes in overlapping economic waters. The president noted that while the two sides have yet to sign a fisheries agreement, consensus has been reached on three issues, namely: to avoid the use of force when enforcing the law at sea; to notify each other before any law enforcement action is taken; and to promptly release any persons detained or arrested.
President Ma furthermore stated that the fishing dispute between Taiwan and the Philippines arose in the northeastern section of the South China Sea. At present, the ROC possesses the Pratas Islands and Taiping Island, which are located in that section, the president said, further explaining that the ROC is repairing the pier and the airport runway on Taiping Island, which have seen damage due to the highly corrosive ocean environment. Once the work is completed, he stated, it is expected that planes and naval vessels from the ROC will be able to land and dock safely there. The president emphasized that this work involves repairs to existing infrastructure and does not signify an expansion of infrastructure there.
In discussing the ROC's method of handling disputes in the South China Sea, President Ma stated that in 1935 the ROC drew up the Map of Chinese Islands in the South China Sea (中國南海各島嶼圖) and in 1947 it formally published this map, confirming the scope of the ROC's territorial claims in the area. This, he said, has not changed one bit even to today. In addition, the president noted, the ROC has never advocated placing any restrictions on the freedom of navigation or overflight of the area. Rather, we hope to handle the issues in the South China Sea in line with the principles of "safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity, and promoting joint exploration and development," he said.
President Ma also mentioned that in 1945 US President Harry S. Truman issued the Proclamation on the Continental Shelf with respect to the Gulf of Mexico, in which the US declared its jurisdiction over the subsoil and sea bed of the continental shelf. Subsequently, a number of Latin American nations expanded their maritime claims, which ultimately spurred the United Nations in 1958 to convene a conference at which the Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea were passed. A new order in the seas then was created, he said.
The president stressed that many islands, reefs, and shoals are located throughout the South China Sea, and the possession of these lands involves the law of the sea and other international laws regarding territoriality. President Ma said that the problems at hand cannot be resolved solely through recourse to the law of the sea, and that broader perspectives must be adopted in handling the situation. In particular, he said, Vietnam, mainland China, the Philippines, Malaysia, and the ROC all claim islands in the South China Sea. Consequently, the issue of sovereignty over these islands is quite complex. The president called on all nations bordering the South China Sea to resolve this dispute by adopting the principle, set forth in his East China Sea Peace Initiative, that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared." He expressed confidence that a consensus can gradually be established if all sides adopt the use of peaceful dialogue.