President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of October 10 with Mario Diaz-Balart and Albio Sires, the co-chairs of the US House of Representatives Congressional Taiwan Caucus. Apart from welcoming the congressmen to Taiwan to take part in the 2014 Double Tenth National Day celebrations, the president also expressed hope for continued strengthening of ties and cooperation between Taiwan and the United States.
In remarks, President Ma first stated that Representative Diaz-Balart is a good friend with whom he had already held discussions on three occasions at the Office of the President. The president mentioned that in April of this year he also had in-depth talks with Representative Diaz-Balart during a video conference arranged by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank based in Washington, DC. President Ma went on to say that Representative Diaz-Balart sent him condolences when his mother passed away in May and also called him up to express his best regards when he transited in the United States on his way to Latin America in July. Both of these gestures demonstrate close friendship, he remarked.
President Ma noted that Representative Sires, who became co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus in January of last year, hurt his back playing sports as a student, which makes it very difficult for him to take long flights. President Ma said he was deeply moved that Representative Sires would make the effort to come for the National Day festivities on this, his first trip to the ROC. In addition, the president stated, he was also touched that the two congressmen had taken time out of their busy schedules to visit Taiwan in the run-up to mid-term elections in the United States.
President Ma said that 155 members of the House of Representatives have joined the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, which comprises 36% of the 435 members of the House. The caucus plays an important role in promoting relations between Taiwan and the United States, he noted, adding that in April of this year the Congressional Taiwan Caucus marked the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act by issuing a joint statement in support of the act. The president also expressed appreciation for this.
As for relations between Taiwan and the United States, President Ma told the visitors that upon taking office in 2008 he sought immediately to restore mutual trust at the highest levels of government between the two countries. He said that Taiwan has embraced the principle of "low key, no surprises" in promoting the development of bilateral relations. The president stated that relations between Taiwan and the United States are currently at their best state in over 30 years, particularly citing the example that over the past six years the United States has sold military hardware to Taiwan valued in excess of US$18.3 billion, which is the most of any period over the past 20 years. He also expressed hope that the United States will continue to provide Taiwan with the military hardware it needs to boost its ability to defend itself, including advanced fighter jets and diesel-electric submarines.
Commenting on trade and economic ties, President Ma said the United States is Taiwan's third largest trading partner, while Taiwan is the 12th largest trading partner of the United States. Bilateral trade in the first seven months of this year grew by over 6% from the same period last year, he pointed out. The president stated that the two countries are in discussions on a bilateral investment agreement, and that the United States is poised to designate Taiwan as a key market under its Select USA investment initiative. In response to the goodwill of the United States, former Vice President Vincent C. Siew (蕭萬長) led a delegation of high-level business leaders from Taiwan to the United States last year, and the group was warmly received by American government agencies and the Congress, he said. Taiwan will continue to arrange similar activities to advance economic and trade cooperation, he remarked.
Turning to the topic of regional economic integration, the president stated that Taiwan is actively promoting economic and trade liberalization, and in recent years has signed economic cooperation agreements with mainland China, New Zealand, and Singapore, hoping to further enhance the conditions for Taiwan to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and other important regional economic integration mechanisms. This, he said, will help prevent the ROC from being marginalized amid the global trend toward economic and trade integration.
Lastly, President Ma emphasized that American support for Taiwan's security and participation in the international community is extremely important if Taiwan is to play the role of a peacemaker. The president thanked the congressmen for their longstanding support for Taiwan, and expressed hope that Taiwan and the United States can continue to strengthen their cooperation and create a shared prosperity.