President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of May 11 with a delegation led by American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt. In addition to updating Chairman Burghardt on progress in ROC's relations with the US, mainland China, and the international community, the president also emphasized that the "1992 Consensus" is the best model for defending the sovereignty of the ROC and the dignity of Taiwan.
In remarks, the president first thanked Chairman Burghardt for his outstanding contributions in promoting ROC-US relations. The president also said that bilateral relations have developed steadily since he took office in 2008, with many substantive results. Over the past seven years, for example, United States arms sales to the ROC have exceeded US$18.3 billion. American President Barack Obama on December 18 last year also signed the Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2014, under which the United States agreed to sell the ROC four Perry-class frigates. This demonstrates that the United States is firmly committed to Taiwan's security, said the president. He specially remarked that the government has decided to acquire submarines through a combination of imports and domestic manufacturing, and hopes that the United States will continue to provide assistance in this regard.
As for economic and trade relations, President Ma stated that the ROC last year vaulted over India and Saudi Arabia to become the tenth-largest trading partner of the United States. Meanwhile, the United States surpassed Japan to become the ROC's second-largest trading partner. In addition, in 2013 Taiwan and the United States resumed negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). The president expressed hope that this dialogue via the TIFA platform will pave the way for the signing of a bilateral investment agreement and e-commerce agreement, further strengthening bilateral economic and trade ties. President Ma went on to say that President Obama in 2013 inaugurated the SelectUSA investment program and that the number of Taiwanese companies taking part made Taiwan the second-most active participant in the world for the second consecutive year. This shows that the two sides have considerable room in which to cooperate. President Ma also expressed his gratitude to the United States for supporting Taiwan's entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and hopes that Taiwan will be able to participate in future multilateral trade negotiations, thus further integrating into the regional economy.
The president told Chairman Burghardt that over the past seven years the ROC government has consistently sought, under the framework of the ROC Constitution, to maintain the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" in the Taiwan Strait, and to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait ties under the 1992 Consensus, whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. "This is an important foundation in maintaining the status quo," the president said. Taiwan and mainland China have signed 21 agreements and reached consensus on two issues, and the number of visits made by mainland tourists to Taiwan last year exceeded 3.94 million, about a 14-fold increase prior to his taking office. The two sides also maintain frequent interaction, with the current level of cross-strait peace and stability unprecedented in the 66 years since the two parties came under separate rule. Nonetheless, problems still arise in cross-strait relations, the president noted, specifically pointing to the M503 flight route just west of the median line of the Taiwan Strait designated by mainland China at the end of last year. The ROC government protested that route immediately, and after several months of negotiations the two sides reached an agreement to move the M503 flight route six nautical miles west, while also stipulating that flights can only make use of the single newly proposed route flying one-way north to south. Furthermore, fighter jets are not allowed to use that route, he said. Meanwhile, the originally proposed W121, W122, and W123 [east-to-west] flight routes are not being used. The president noted that few flights have actually used the M503 route since it opened for commercial services on March 29.
The president said that in November last year former Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) instructed the Ministry of Finance to assess Taiwan's possible participation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). After carefully reviewing the international situation, the ROC then decided to take part in the AIIB and hoped to become a founding member. "Clearly a number of political considerations emerged that could not be overcome," the president said. However, mainland authorities still expressed their willingness to enable Taiwan to become an ordinary member. "We also stressed that we must be a formal and complete member," he said. The president is confident that Taiwan's form of participation and name in that body will become clearer after the AIIB's charter is released this coming June.
The president then explained that the objective of the ROC's AIIB participation is to assist Asian nations develop infrastructure. Taiwan has long been a member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and several decades ago it ceased borrowing from the ADB, moving from being a recipient nation to a donor. The president believes that Taiwan will play a similar role in the AIIB in the future. Participation in the AIIB is also crucial to Taiwan's involvement in regional integration, as almost all of Asia's major nations are involved. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait can also take advantage of this opportunity to expand bilateral economic cooperation, he said.
The president also mentioned that cross-strait relations have recently been a focus of concern among the public. Some individuals are skeptical about the existence of the 1992 Consensus, but the president said that the consensus has in fact been in existence for 23 years and that this can be proven through various documents over this period. "Not only does it exist, but also it has been in effective use for seven years," President Ma stated. He added that after taking office he enthusiastically implemented the 1992 Consensus, and that without it, the current status quo would be impossible. The president stressed that when we abide by the 1992 Concensus, cross-strait relations flourish. If we diverge from it, cross-strait relations will deteriorate. And if we oppose it, there will be turmoil in the Taiwan Strait. Any political figure who understands history cannot neglect this fact, he said. As to the meaning of "status quo," the president remarked that we hope to maintain the status quo, meaning the current status quo and not the status quo of seven years ago. No one in Taiwan hopes to maintain the status quo of seven years ago.
The president said he announced the East China Sea Peace Initiative in August 2012, urging related parties to use peaceful measures to resolve disputes in the East China Sea. Two years ago, Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement, which has been implemented successfully. In addition to resolving a longstanding fishing dispute between the two sides, Taiwan's fishermen have also enjoyed significantly higher catches, he said. Turning to the South China Sea, the president noted that the ROC and the Philippines also have a fishing dispute spanning 30 years and in the past the Philippines has detained Taiwanese fishermen and even fired on a Taiwanese fishing boat, killing a fisherman and damaging the boat. The two sides have reached a consensus in overlapping exclusive economic zones by refraining from using force in law enforcement actions, notifying each other prior to such actions, and promptly releasing detained fishing vessels and crews in case of arrest. We are playing the role of peacemaker from the Taiwan Strait to the East China Sea and to the South China Sea, the president said.
The ROC also is a provider of humanitarian aid, the president stated, pointing out that the ROC responded to last year's outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa by donating 100,000 sets of protective gear to West Africa to aid in outbreak prevention work. The ROC also donated US$1 million as part of an international fund aimed at fighting the outbreak. In March this year, the ROC donated funds to the Pan American Development Foundation, coordinated by the US, to be used to purchase personal protective equipment to assist Latin American countries in establishing an infectious diseases prevention network. Recently, with the cooperation of the United States, Taiwan also set up a training course where 16 specialized medical workers from six Southeast Asian nations have received training here. The president then noted that the ROC government announced a donation of US$300,000 to Nepal immediately following the devastating earthquake that hit there on April 25. The private sector here has also organized a number of support teams to take relief supplies to Nepal. All of these actions demonstrate the ROC's humanitarian spirit, the president said.
The president also extended a cordial welcome to Mr. Kin Moy, who will soon become the new director of AIT's Taipei office, and he hopes ROC-US relations will continue to move forward.
Joining Chairman Burghardt was AIT Taipei Office Director Christopher Marut. They were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀) to meet with President Ma.