On the morning of September 29, President Ma Ying-jeou attended the opening ceremonies of the 20th congress of the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce (WTCC) and the third joint conference of directors and supervisors. The president applauded the organization for its community service activities, and for its support of government policy. He also briefed the audience on the government's trade liberalization measures.
In remarks, the president stated that 183 branch chapters of the WTCC have been established in 70 jurisdictions around the world, with more than 40,000 Taiwanese enterprises participating. President Ma said that this marks the seventh consecutive year that he has attended the organization's annual congress. Besides congratulating the organization on its 20th anniversary, the president also thanked the WTCC for helping the government push its economic, trade, and diplomatic agendas.
President Ma said that the WTCC has long engaged in a wide range of public service activities in Taiwan. For instance, he remarked, the organization donated over NT$39 million after the tragic gas explosions that rocked Kaohsiung City earlier this year. The funds donated are helping in the reconstruction of areas damaged in the disaster, the president stated. In addition, the WTCC donated NT$50 million in relief aid to disaster-stricken areas ravaged by flooding and landslides during Typhoon Morakot in 2009, he said. President Ma also commented that starting in 2011, the organization began providing financial aid to underprivileged students in Taiwan, while at the same time offering assistance to improve medical care in remote communities. The WTCC has also donated buses for disabled persons, along with medical equipment and ambulances, he said. These are concrete demonstrations of the compassion and concern for home from Taiwanese businesses from throughout the world, the president remarked.
President Ma further commented that Taiwanese businesses located overseas regularly hold public service activities and provide humanitarian assistance. He cited one example last year when the WTCC and the Indonesia Taiwan Chambers of Commerce jointly held an activity to donate rice, the ROC flag proudly fluttered in the wind. In addition, the WTCC also made emergency donations of roughly NT$3 million worth of goods to areas in the Philippines hit by Typhoon Haiyan. This gesture was applauded by the international community, the president stated.
Commenting on the economy, President Ma said that a variety of data show that the domestic economy is performing well. For instance, the latest forecast of the Executive Yuan's Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, released in mid-August this year, predicts economic growth this year of 3.41%, the highest forecast so far this year, he said. The president pointed out that Taiwan's unemployment rate fell for three consecutive months from June to August to 14-year lows in comparison with the same months in previous years. Taiwan's composite economic indicator has been in the "green light" stage for seven consecutive months, he remarked, which represents economic stability. In particular, department stores throughout Taiwan right now are holding their annual anniversary discounts, and strong sales indicate that consumer confidence is gradually improving, he stated.
President Ma also remarked that while Taiwan's economy is recovering step by step, the nation still faces a number of steep challenges. Industrial restructuring has not been carried out fast enough, but that the government is striving to upgrade our industry from an efficiency-driven to an innovation-driven economic model. In addition, he said, the government is making every effort to negotiate and sign economic cooperation agreements with major trading partners and take active part in regional economic integration. The government, he stated, hopes to continue creating the conditions that will enable Taiwan to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as quickly as possible.
The president further explained that in 2013 Taiwan's trade with the 12 TPP member states came to nearly US$200 billion and accounted for roughly 35% of Taiwan's overall trade volume, while the ROC's trade with the 16 member states of the RCEP reached US$325 billion, or about 57% of Taiwan's total trade. This points to the importance and the urgency for Taiwan to join these two regional economic and trade blocs, he said. President Ma further commented that the two regional economic alliances have yet to be formally established, but Taiwan may have the opportunity to join next year after multilateral trade negotiations resume.
The president emphasized that the government, to demonstrate its determination to join the TPP and the RCEP, in February of this year arranged for ROC envoys and the officials involved in economic affairs stationed in over 20 countries to return to Taiwan and attend meetings held to examine a variety of bilateral topics and to plan out a comprehensive roadmap to reduce economic and trade barriers. These meetings were held in preparation for bilateral or multilateral negotiations with these various nations, he said. President Ma stated that after being in office for six years the opportunity to knock on this door has finally afforded itself. This, he said, is extremely important for Taiwan's economy.
President Ma also mentioned that the WTCC is also supporting Taiwan's admission to the TPP and the RCEP, and in September of this year formed a delegation to visit government officials and chambers of commerce in the United States. The president expressed appreciation for these efforts to obtain American support for Taiwan's bid to join the TPP.
President Ma said that the government will create a more open and friendly investment environment. Aside from eliminating external trade barriers, the government also intends to liberalize domestic markets and deregulate in order to transform Taiwan into a free economic island, he remarked. In response to the global trend toward liberalization, the government in August of last year formally launched eight free economic pilot zones (FEPZs), including six seaports, one airport, and the Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park. Five key industries that offer high added value—including smart logistics, international health care, value-added agriculture, financial services, and educational innovation—will be promoted in the zones. The ultimate aim is to boost Taiwan's competitiveness and demonstrate the ROC's determination to promote trade liberalization, the president said. He also expressed hope that the Legislative Yuan will complete the passage of related legislation as soon as possible.
The president further noted that the government, starting from November 2012, instituted the Project to Strengthen Promotion of Investment in Taiwan by Overseas Taiwanese Businesses. As of the end of August of this year, a total of 47 Taiwanese businesses had come back to invest a total of NT$201.3 billion, he said, noting that this has created over 31,000 jobs. President Ma called on all sectors to continue working with the government for economic prosperity.
Lastly, commenting on the situation in Hong Kong, the president said that the eyes of the entire world have been focused on Hong Kong recently. The government and people of the ROC are also extremely concerned about the situation, and therefore, the president said, he wanted to take this opportunity to express the government's viewpoint.
President Ma stated that Taiwan has had universal suffrage for quite some time, and during each election a lot of people from Hong Kong have come here to observe. He said that the ROC fully understands and supports the Hong Kong people's demand for universal suffrage.
President Ma stressed that Hong Kong is an important global financial center, and any political unrest will affect not only Asia, but also the rest of the world. We urge the authorities in mainland China to heed the voices of the Hong Kong people and to adopt a peaceful and cautious attitude in handling the situation. At the same, we also hope that the people of Hong Kong will use peaceful and rational means to express their demands. We do not want to see conflict of any sort, said the president. Many observers have expressed hope that Hong Kong can gradually move toward democracy, he stated, adding that Taiwan also is confident that if the people of Hong Kong are allowed to select candidates and then elect those they prefer, the result will be a win-win situation for both Hong Kong and mainland China.