President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of November 26 with a delegation of parliamentarians from Italy's Chamber of Deputies and Senate. In addition to welcoming the group to Taiwan, the president also called for enhanced cooperation and interaction between the two countries.
In remarks, President Ma noted that members of the delegation held important positions in Italy's parliament and were prominent members of both the ruling and opposition parties. They have important political influence in Italy, and their membership in the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, he said, shows the close and friendly nature of bilateral relations.
The president told the visitors that an avoidance of double taxation agreement sought by the two countries for many years was finally passed by the Italian Senate on the evening of November 25, and that the Chamber of Deputies will hopefully complete its deliberations by the end of this year. Apart from thanking the Senate for its full support for the agreement, the president also expressed hope that his visitors would continue to promote this legislation and vote in support of the bill upon returning home.
Commenting on bilateral relations, President Ma stated that while the two sides do not maintain diplomatic ties, the relationship has always been friendly. In the area of economic and trade ties, he said, Italy is currently Taiwan's fifth largest trading partner in Europe, with bilateral trade last year reaching nearly US$3.8 billion. Nearly 60 Taiwanese companies have invested about US$650 million in Italy, he noted, and Italy's Finmeccanica Group in 2009 won a US$530 million engineering contract on the Taipei Metro system. Also, Patrizia Giarratana, the deputy head of the Italian Trade Promotion Agency (under the Ministry of Economic Development), in November of last year led a delegation to Taiwan to promote Italian wines, the president said, noting that this marked the first time that an Italian government official had made this type of visit to Taiwan. The president said these facts all show that bilateral economic and trade ties are growing stronger.
President Ma then mentioned that in the areas of science, technology, and education, Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Research Council of Italy in 2011 signed another science cooperation agreement under which the two sides fund selected research projects, scientific seminars, and reciprocal visits. The president added that in the same year Taiwan's Ministry of Education and the Third University of Rome (Università degli studi Roma Tre) signed a Letter of Intent on the Designation of Taiwan Academy Contact Points and Bilateral Cooperation, thus promoting bilateral academic ties.
President Ma pointed out that outstanding artists and artistic groups from Taiwan also frequently visit Italy to perform at the Venice Biennale and take part in various cultural activities and performances. The president said that he personally visited the Venice Biennale in 2001 and the experience left a deep impression on him. In addition, he mentioned, his wife Chow Mei-ching (周美青) served as the honorary leader of the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan in 2010 and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra in 2012 when these two troupes performed in Italy. This also points to a considerable advance in cultural ties, the president remarked.
Commenting on Taiwan's participation in regional economic integration, President Ma stated that Taiwan has sought to sign free trade agreements with its major trading partners in recent years to enhance the nation's industrial competitiveness. Taiwan first signed an economic cooperation agreement with mainland China in 2010, followed by agreements with Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore, the president explained. In addition, it has resumed negotiations with the United States under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, and is actively seeking to join regional economic integration mechanisms such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The president also thanked the European Parliament for passing a resolution in October of last year that urged the European Commission to initiate negotiations with Taiwan on investment protection and market access agreements. He further expressed appreciation to former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi for supporting an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and the European Union (EU). The president noted that Italy in the second half of 2014 is holding the rotating presidency of the EU, and said he hopes the Italian government will continue to support the signing of an economic cooperation agreement or bilateral investment protection agreement between Taiwan and the EU to further deepen bilateral trade and economic ties.
President Ma told the visitors that the ROC is a peace-loving nation that desires to actively participate in international activities, but had long been unable to take part in United Nations activities after losing its UN seat in 1971. After he took office in 2008, however, he sought to improve the relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and this has brought breakthroughs for Taiwan in its participation in the international community. For instance, he said, Taiwan has attended in the World Health Assembly for six consecutive years since 2009, while in July of the same year it joined the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. He also pointed out that in September of last year Taiwan's director-general of the Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications was invited to attend the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The president highlighted the significance of all of these developments, saying that Taiwan had been absent from these bodies for some 30 to 40 years.
President Ma also thanked Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the many times it has expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the ICAO and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He also expressed hope that the visitors will continue to support Taiwan in this regard.
The delegation included Italian Senators Gian Marco Centinaio, Emma Fattorini, Emanuela Munerato, Adele Gambaro, and Raffaela Bellot, as well as Chamber of Deputies Members Alessandro Pagano and Michele Pelillo.