President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of June 3 conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taipei Office Director Christopher J. Marut in recognition of his efforts and outstanding contributions in enhancing ROC-US relations.
The ceremony was held at 3 p.m. at the Presidential Office Building. Also witnessing the ceremony were Mrs. Marut, AIT Deputy Director Brent Christensen, Secretary-General to the President Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) National Security Council Secretary-General Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), National Palace Museum Director Fung Ming-chu (馮明珠), and Director-General of the Third Bureau of the Presidential Office Fen-Fen Chang (張芬芬).
After the master of ceremonies recited the commendation on the accompanying certificate, President Ma personally decorated Mr. Marut with a sash and medallion, after which they shook hands and were photographed. Moments later the president delivered remarks, stating that Mr. Marut has great humility and poise. Since taking his position in September 2012, Mr. Marut has made outstanding contributions in promoting mutual trust and cooperation between the ROC and the United States, and is a distinguished diplomat, the president said.
The president then stated that ROC-US cooperation has grown considerably in a wide range of areas during Mr. Marut's tenure. In November 2012, the ROC was formally included in the US Visa Waiver Program, and in February 2013 the two countries signed a new version of the Agreement on Privileges, Exemptions and Immunities, which constituted the largest change to that agreement since 1980. The revisions not only provide greater protections to officials stationed in each country, but also restore the level of protection that existed prior to the severing of official diplomatic relations. In addition, in recent years more and more high-ranking US officials and influential members of Congress have visited Taiwan. These visits have become "the new normal," which is testament to the close and friendly bilateral relations, said the president.
President Ma also mentioned that in an address delivered at AmCham's 2015 Hsieh Nien Fan celebration and in a videoconference with Stanford University, he stated that the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) has provided a stable and effective basis for ROC-US relations. The United States established diplomatic relations with mainland China 36 years ago and severed official relations with the ROC, which constituted a de-recognition of Taiwan by the administration. US Congress, however, formulated the TRA, which was actually a sort of legislative re-recognition of Taiwan, the president stated.
As for ROC-US cooperative relations, the president said that the two sides resumed negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in March 2013. In addition, the United States became the first partner in the ROC's International Environmental Partnership, and the two countries have jointly implemented the Pacific Islands Leadership Program, both of which have yielded substantive results. The ROC last year also responded to the Ebola outbreak in Africa by donating 100,000 sets of personal protective equipment in a timely manner, while at the same time contributing US$1 million to the US CDC Foundation as part of joint response in combatting the outbreak.
The president said that thanks to the efforts of Mr. Marut, US officials such as Secretary of State John Kerry, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton have publicly recognized the importance of ROC-US relations. Assistant Secretary Thornton recently further stressed that Taiwan-US relations are currently at their best and that Taiwan's steady handling of cross-strait relations is an important factor in the close cooperation that has characterized Taiwan-US relations in recent years.
President Ma commented that some people were concerned that ROC-US relations would be impacted by the flag-raising incident at the ROC's Twin Oaks Estate in Washington, D. C. at the beginning of this year. During an interview at the time, however, Mr. Marut took the lead in stressing that Taiwan-US relations remained smooth. The president invited Mr. Marut to look upon Taiwan as his second home, and hopes he will continue to make contributions to ROC-US relations in the future.
Mr. Marut expressed that he is deeply honored to receive the order from President Ma and that this is the result of the joint efforts made by his colleagues at the AIT.
Mr. Marut also mentioned that Taiwan's achievements have impressed the world, ranging from its democratic politics, entrepreneurial spirit, high-tech industry, freedom, and liberal democracy. All of these are quite commendable, he said. In addition, the ROC and the United States share the core values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, which enable the two sides to engage in close cooperation and jointly face regional and global challenges, said Mr. Marut.
Lastly, Mr. Marut noted that he would like to accept this honor on behalf of the AIT team, adding how proud he is to have led this outstanding group. He hopes that with the efforts and creativity of his AIT colleagues, Taiwan-US relations will develop smoothly in the future.