President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of November 27 with Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. In addition to welcoming Dean Mahbubani to Taiwan, the president also reiterated the importance of Taiwan's participation in regional economic integration.
In remarks, President Ma stated that he was invited in May of 2006 to deliver an address at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. That was the first time that he met with Dean Mahbubani, and it was at that time that he expressed his idea that if the two sides of the Taiwan Strait wanted reconciliation, they would have to return to the "1992 Consensus," whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. The president said that upon taking office in 2008 he actively promoted this policy and it has brought the peace and prosperity that the two sides enjoy today. He noted that Dean Mahbubani first visited Taiwan in April 2009, and the chance to have discussions again this time makes their meeting all the more congenial.
The president stated that Dean Mahbubani is a senior Singaporean diplomat who has twice served as Singapore's ambassador to the United Nations (UN), and in January 2001 and May 2002 served as president of the UN Security Council, where he made outstanding contributions to world peace and prosperity. President Ma noted that in 2004 Dean Mahbubani moved to the academic sector where he has continued to be influential. This year, for example, he was selected by the British current affairs magazine Prospect as one of the top 50 world thinkers. In addition, the president stated, Dean Mahbubani in his position at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy has run a very open operation, consistently welcoming public policy officials from throughout the world to train at that school. That school, President Ma said, has promoted regional integration by training high-ranking civil servants throughout the region.
As for economic relations between Taiwan and Singapore, the president told Dean Mahbubani that in November of last year the two sides signed the Agreement between Singapore and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Partnership (ASTEP). This was the first economic cooperation agreement that Taiwan had signed with an ASEAN nation, making it extremely significant, President Ma said. The agreement, he stated, took effect in April of this year and as of October of this year Taiwan's exports to Singapore stood at US$10.9 billion, up 7.6% year-on-year. At the same time, he cited statistics from Singapore customs that indicated that from May to September of this year, Singapore's exports to Taiwan rose 6% from the year-earlier period to US$6.5 billion. This proves that the ASTEP has already boosted the economies of both sides, he said. President Ma stressed that prior to signing this agreement, the majority of Taiwan's exports to Singapore already enjoyed zero tariff treatment, and while many people feel that its impact on bilateral trade growth has been limited, in fact the reality is much different and the results have exceeded expectations.
The president mentioned that both Singapore and Taiwan are small but open economies which differ mainly in that Singapore has actively sought to sign free trade agreements or other economic and trade accords with its major trading partners. Taiwan should do likewise, he said. Pointing to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as examples, the president noted that Singapore is a party to each, and the members of the TPP and the RCEP account for 35% and 57% of Taiwan's external trade, respectively. Making adjustments to avoid double counting, the members of the TPP and the RCEP together account for 70% of Taiwan's external trade, he said, which highlights the importance of these two trade blocs to Taiwan's external trade.
President Ma emphasized that there is a general consensus within Singapore on the need to sign free trade agreements with other nations. As a result, some 70% of its exported products are covered by free trade agreements. In Taiwan, however, the situation is quite different, said the president, explaining that while both the ruling and opposition parties agree that Taiwan should sign free trade agreements or similar pacts with other countries, the opposition immediately mobilizes to obstruct any agreement that involves mainland China. The opposition has even taken over the speaker's podium and paralyzed proceedings in the legislature, bringing progress on such deals to a halt, he remarked. For instance, the president noted, the government encountered considerable resistance in signing the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and the Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement, and the latter agreement still has not been approved by the Legislative Yuan. This, he acknowledged, has led to skepticism within the international community about whether Taiwan sincerely intends to join the TPP and the RCEP. President Ma commented that the lack of consensus at home makes it difficult for Taiwan to deal with its international economic challenges. Meanwhile, Korea, a major trade competitor, has completed substantive negotiations on a free trade agreement with mainland China, which is unfavorable for Taiwan, he said.
The president also mentioned that Taiwan is the world's 19th largest trading nation and that many countries are willing to trade with us, but as soon as talk turns to the signing of economic and trade agreements, the other side becomes wary. In addition, he said, if Taiwan is to join the TPP, it must win the support of the United States and the other 11 states party to the agreement. More importantly still, he added, it is necessary that mainland China not oppose it; otherwise, it will become even more difficult for Taiwan to join.
Regarding the topic of regional peace and the South China Sea, President Ma stated that Dean Mahbubani once stated that geopolitical competition is one of the key risks facing ASEAN, and that the problems in the South China Sea are the most serious concern for the international community in Southeast Asia. The president noted that while Singapore does not have sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, it provides a platform for nations in Southeast Asia and elsewhere to exchange opinions. He stated that the ROC does not maintain diplomatic relations with nations in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, making it difficult for it to exercise its muscle in the diplomatic arena. The president, however, pointed out that two years ago he unveiled the East China Sea Peace Initiative, and then Taiwan and Japan have signed a fisheries agreement that has reduced the number of fishing disputes between the two sides to a minimum. At the same time, after the Guang Da Xing No. 28 fishing boat incident with the Philippines, Taiwan and its neighbor to the south reached a consensus on how to conduct law enforcement actions at sea. By its handling of these situations, Taiwan has contributed to regional peace, he said.
President Ma then expressed his appreciation to US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel, and Australian Defence Minister David Johnston for publicly praising the fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan as a contribution to peace in the East China Sea. The president also said he hopes that the idea—put forward in the East China Sea Peace Initiative—that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared," can be expanded upon and applied to the South China Sea to resolve disputes in those waters.