President Ma Ying-jeou, accompanied by Vice President Wu Den-yih, exchanged opinions on a broad range of topics including domestic economic and trade developments and social welfare with the presidents, vice presidents, and secretaries-general from the five Yuan (i.e. the five branches of the ROC government) at a reception held at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of June 26.
In remarks, President Ma first thanked all the attendees from the five Yuan for their years of hard work for the country.
Commenting on domestic economic developments, the president noted that last year's economic growth of 3.74% was the highest in three years, and marked the first time in 16 years that Taiwan's growth rate was once again the highest of Asia's four little tigers. He went on to say that economic growth in the first quarter of this year reached 3.37%, which was also the best of the four little tigers, although it’s worth noting that the Executive Yuan's Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics has lowered this year's projected growth rate to 3.28% from the previous forecast of 3.78%.
Turning to the government’s achievements in reducing unemployment, the president stated that the average unemployment rate last year fell to 3.96%, the first time over the past seven years it had fallen below 4%. The average unemployment rate in the first five months of this year stood at 3.67%, also the lowest in the past 15 years over the corresponding period.
The president said that the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2015 (WCY) released by Switzerland's International Institute for Management Development shows that Taiwan ranked number 11 among the 61 countries rated, up two slots from last year. Meanwhile, Taiwan ranked third in the Asia-Pacific, behind only Hong Kong and Singapore. The president said that since he took office in 2008, Taiwan's average ranking in the WCY has been 11.5, while in the eight years prior to his taking office, Taiwan's average ranking was 16th.
President Ma stated that Taiwan is facing increasing pressure in the wake of the signing of a free trade agreement between Korea and mainland China. In particular, nearly 40% of Korea's exported goods will be covered by free trade agreements or similar arrangements, while over 70% of Singapore's exports are covered by such pacts. In comparison, just 10% of Taiwan's exports are covered, meaning that we are lagging far behind, and the president said that this should be a matter of great concern for people throughout ROC society.
The president emphasized that the government is actively seeking to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), as the TPP and the RCEP absorb 35% and 57% of Taiwan's exports, respectively. These figures show just how important Taiwan's participation in regional economic integration is. Commenting on the enactment of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) laws by the US Congress, the president stated that this will make it easier for US President Barack Obama to push forward with the TPP. The ROC will continue to monitor developments and see whether there is an opportunity in the second half of this year to hold multilateral negotiations under the TPP framework. At that time, perhaps there will be an opportunity for this country to participate, the president said. He went on to say that since the TPP is an even higher quality and more open agreement than the RCEP, if Taiwan can join the TPP its entry into the RCEP will be relatively easy.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROC's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Retrocession of Taiwan, and the president mentioned that the government will hold a series of commemorative activities between July 4 and October 25. One such activity will be a National Forces Combat Capability Display on July 4 at the national military review facility in Hukou Township, Hsinchu County, kicking off this series of activities. In addition, the descendants of a number of individuals who provided assistance to the ROC in the war and helped save countless lives have been invited to Taiwan to participate in various activities, and the president hopes that we can all commemorate that historical period together.
The president then turned to recent achievements by the executive branch of government, saying that the Executive Yuan and related agencies have resolved the water shortage that affected many parts of Taiwan starting in March of this year. The Executive Yuan is also taking advantage of this opportunity to examine domestic water resource policies, hoping to find a balance between supply and demand consistent with current trends. The Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Health and Welfare are also meeting the challenge posed by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in Korea, tapping into past experience and turning to institutionalized outbreak control measures here, thus effectively responding to the situation. Consequently, not a single case of MERS has been discovered here, and authorities should be applauded for their work in this regard.
The president also recognized the recent cooperation between the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan, facilitating the smooth passage of many important pieces of legislation including a revision to the Labor Standards Act that caps the number of working hours at 40 per week, as well as the screening of a Long-term Care Services Act that has been discussed for many years. The president also hopes the Long-term Care Insurance Act will be ratified in a speedy manner.
President Ma furthermore stated that the Legislative Yuan enacted the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Management Act before the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change passes a binding agreement on climate change at the end of this year. This, the president said, would show the ROC's responsible attitude as one of the world's 20 largest trading nations. The president also noted that the ROC's property tax framework had long run contrary to global trends by assessing taxes on buildings and land separately, so the consolidated housing and land tax system starting next year will better reflect current international trends.
President Ma also expressed his deepest gratitude to Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) for his coordination and communication efforts in this process, and hopes that in the future President Wang will continue to exchange opinions with a range of sectors on important issues, such as closely held corporations and third-party payments.
The president also said he is pleased by the Legislative Yuan's confirmation of the grand justices he nominated, and hopes that upon taking up their positions this September, the four justices—Huang Horng-shya (黃虹霞), Wu Chen-huan (吳陳鐶), Tsai Ming-cheng (蔡明誠), and Lin Jyun-yi (林俊益)—will take on and complete the tasks begun by the grand justices whose terms are expiring.
Commenting on the unfilled vacancies in the Control Yuan, the government's ombudsman authority, the president stated that the organization has insufficient manpower to handle impeachment cases. This has affected its ability to exercise its supervisory authority, and its powers are thus incomplete. President Ma hopes that Legislative Yuan President Wang will assist in addressing this issue in the next legislative session.
With respect to progress in reforming the civil service system, the president stated that this past February the Examination Yuan approved administrative guidelines that will offer a broader perspective in the evaluation of existing and prospective civil servants, and will introduce cloud technology and big data analysis to the test process for civil servants. President Ma said the reforms in the civil service system should continue to be promoted in light of the challenges brought about by globalization and an information-driven society.
The president stated that while constitutional amendments are still pending, the government will continue to carry out its work on the basis of the separation of five powers, and equal interdependence of the five branches of government. Seamless cooperation between the president and the premier will be accompanied by mutual cooperation between the Executive Yuan and the other four yuan. The five Yuan should not only cooperate, but should also provide mutual checks and balances to reflect the Five Powers system of government espoused by the nation's founding father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
Lastly, the president again expressed his gratitude for the contributions made by the five Yuan. He also stressed that although he has less than a year left in office, he will deal with outstanding issues in a timely manner without hesitation, and continue to move forward. He also hopes that all sectors will work together to this end.
Among those attending the reception were Premier Mao Chih-kuo (毛治國) , Legislative Yuan President Wang, Judicial Yuan President Hau-Min Rai (賴浩敏), Examination Yuan President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖), Control Yuan President Chang Po-ya (張博雅), Vice Premier Chang San-cheng (張善政), Judicial Yuan Vice President Yeong-Chin Su (蘇永欽), Examination Yuan Vice President Kao Yuang-kuang (高永光), Control Yuan Vice President Sun Ta-chuan (孫大川), Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎), Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Jiin-fang Lin (林錦芳), Examination Yuan Secretary-General Jih-Shyuan Lee (李繼玄), and Control Yuan Secretary-General Fu Meng-jung (傅孟融). Also attending the event were Secretary-General to the President Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Hsiung Kuang-hua (熊光華) .