President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of August 13 with a delegation led by United States Senator Tom Cotton. In addition to extending a cordial welcome to the visitors, the president also explained the government's efforts and achievements in promoting ROC-US relations and regional peace.
In remarks, President Ma stated that last month he made a transit stop in Boston, Massachusetts during a trip to visit the ROC's diplomatic partners in the Caribbean and Central America. While in Boston he visited his alma mater, Harvard University, and had cordial discussions by phone with Senator Cotton, also a Harvard alumnus.
The president commented that Senator Cotton is a member of the Senate's Committee on Armed Services and Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as the Senate Taiwan Caucus. Also a member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus when he previously served in the House of Representatives, Senator Cotton has actively aided the ROC, signing resolutions affirming the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and supporting meaningful participation for Taiwan in the International Civil Aviation Organization. Senator Cotton has thus shown that he is a true friend of the ROC in many ways, the president said.
Discussing ROC-US relations, President Ma noted that since he took office in 2008 his administration has promoted interaction with the United States based on a "low-key, no surprises" approach. This has led to further cooperation in economics and trade, security, and other areas, and in the 36 years since the TRA was passed, the bilateral relationship has never been better, the president remarked.
President Ma also stated that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and current Secretary of State John Kerry have commented on bilateral relations in a positive light, saying, for example, that Taiwan is "an important security and economic partner" of the United States. In May of this year Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton, in an address at the Brookings Institution, also stressed how good Taiwan-US relations are and referred to Taiwan as "a vital partner" of the United States in East Asia.
Discussing cooperation in the area of security, the president explained to Senator Cotton that over the past seven years the United States has sold the ROC over US$18.3 billion worth of arms, the highest amount in the past two decades and double the amount that the US sold to the previous ROC administration. In addition, when screening the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 this past May, both the US Senate and the House of Representatives supported strengthening military interaction between Taiwan and the United States, along with inviting Taiwan to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) and Red Flag training exercises for the first time. This shows that the US administrative and legislative branches are upholding the TRA and the Six Assurances, and fulfilling the US security commitment to Taiwan, said the president.
As for economic and trade cooperation, President Ma pointed out that Taiwan last year vaulted past India and Saudi Arabia to become the 10th largest trading partner of the United States, while the United States has outpaced Japan to become Taiwan's second largest trading partner. Negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement resumed in March 2013, and the president hopes that the two sides can hold negotiations and sign a bilateral investment agreement in the future.
President Ma then mentioned that the United States is now actively promoting Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)-related negotiations. As TPP members absorb 35% of Taiwan's exports in terms of dollar value, the ROC government hopes to be involved in these multilateral trade talks as soon as possible, and has indicated its intent to many senior US government officials. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel previously remarked that the United States would give serious consideration to Taiwan as a TPP signatory, and the president hopes that Taiwan will be able to achieve its goal of participating in the second round of TPP negotiations.
As for cross-strait relations, President Ma stated that in the past, the Taiwan Strait was always a potential flash point for conflict in East Asia. Since he took office in 2008, however, 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. As a result, he said, over the past 66 years, cross-strait relations have never been more peaceful and stable. And since the three current candidates to become the ROC's next president all advocate maintaining the status quo, we can sense that maintaining the status quo is what the public really needs, he said.
Commenting on regional peace, President Ma noted that Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement two years ago that effectively put an end to a 40-year old bilateral fisheries dispute. In August of last year US Secretary of State Kerry publicly stated that this agreement was a model for promoting regional stability, and that the overriding principles of the East China Sea Peace Initiative could be applied in waters throughout Asia. The president then mentioned that he recently introduced the South China Sea Peace Initiative with the hope of extending the successful experiences in the East China Sea to the South China Sea.
The ROC and the Philippines have also reached three points of consensus on law enforcement at sea in overlapping exclusive economic zones, agreeing to refrain from using force in law enforcement actions, notify each other prior to such actions, and promptly release detained fishing vessels and crews in case of arrest, he said, adding that this has reduced bilateral fishing disputes and promoted regional peace.
Senator Cotton then stated that Taiwan is an important US ally in Asia, and that both countries share the core values of democracy, freedom, equality, and rule of law. He pointed out that although this marked his first visit to Taiwan, he has been able to experience the beauty of Taiwan and the warmth of its people. Senator Cotton also lauded President Ma's East China Sea Peace Initiative and South China Sea Peace Initiative, which he said not only promote peace and stability in the East China Sea and South China Sea, but will also help in establishing regional and global security mechanisms. The United States will continue to maintain its deep friendship with Taiwan, stated Senator Cotton.