President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of October 9 with a delegation from the US Republican National Committee (RNC). The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome to the visitors who have come to Taiwan to celebrate the ROC's Double Tenth National Day.
In remarks, the president stated that the RNC has long been a staunch supporter of Taiwan's democracy and freedom. Since 1976, the RNC has included language friendly to Taiwan in its party platform, and since 1984 it has clearly stated that the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) constitutes the basis of the Republican Party's policy toward Taiwan, and the party has reiterated its commitment to security in the Taiwan Strait. This, the president said, points to the Party's deep friendship with the ROC.
The president pointed out that since taking office in 2008 he has taken a "low key, no surprises" approach to dealings with the United States, and this has resulted in steady progress. Mutual ROC-US trust has been restored at the highest levels of government, and bilateral relations are now the best they have ever been in the 36 years since the TRA was enacted.
Commenting on the substantive achievements in cooperation between the two countries, the president stated that Taiwan was included in the US Visa Waiver Program in November 2012 and was the only country in the program that does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with the US. Over the past seven years US arms sales to the ROC reached US$18.3 billion, the highest amount in the past two decades, which doubles the amount that the US sold to the previous ROC administration. 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 US, along with inviting Taiwan to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) and Red Flag training exercises. This shows that the US administration is upholding the TRA and the Six Assurances, and fulfilling the US security commitment to Taiwan, said the president.
With respect to economic and trade interaction, President Ma said that Taiwan last year surpassed India and Saudi Arabia to become the tenth largest trading partner of the United States. Meanwhile, the US vaulted past Japan to become Taiwan's second largest trading partner. US Department of Commerce statistics show that trade in goods between Taiwan and the United States last year reached US$67.4 billion, which was 6.3% higher than 2013, he said. Negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) were also resumed in March of 2013. The ninth round of TIFA negotiations was held on October 1 of this year which would enhance bilateral economic and trade relations, the president remarked.
The president also expressed his deepest gratitude to 81 members of the RNC who in May of this year issued a joint statement in support of further strengthening of US-Taiwan trade and investment relations, and for supporting Taiwan's involvement in economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, the convening of talks on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between the two countries, and the signing of a bilateral investment agreement (BIA).
President Ma stated that led by the United States, the first round of negotiations associated with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was recently completed. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel has also said that the United States will give Taiwan serious consideration as a candidate for TPP membership. Given that 35% of Taiwan's exports are absorbed by TPP members, Taiwan's membership in the TPP is quite important, the president said, adding that he hopes the visitors will continue to support Taiwan's participation in the second round of TPP negotiations.
Mentioning progress in cross-strait relations in recent years, the president explained that upon taking office his administration instituted a cross-strait policy that endeavors, 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 peaceful 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, the Taiwan Strait has been transformed from a flashpoint for conflict into an avenue of peace.
The president noted that over the past seven years the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have signed 23 agreements. During that same period, visitors from mainland China have made over 14 million trips to Taiwan, almost four million of them in the past year alone. In addition, the number of mainland students studying in Taiwan jumped from 823 from seven years ago to 32,000 last year, a 40-fold increase. The more important is that the ministers in charge of cross-strait affairs from both sides of the Strait have held five formal meetings where both sides used their official titles, a sure sign that cooperation has gradually replaced confrontation in cross-strait relations. The president stated that cross-strait relations are the most stable and peaceful they have been in the past 66 years.
President Ma mentioned that after he won the presidency in 2008 mainland China's then leader Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) spoke to former US President George W. Bush, who was a member of the Republican Party, by phone and proposed that, "Mainland China and Taiwan should restore consultation and talks on the basis of the 1992 Consensus, which sees both sides recognize there is only one China, but agree to differ on its definition." President Ma said that this was the first time that a US president verified the existence of the 1992 Consensus. Over the past seven years his administration has promoted cross-strait peaceful development based on the 1992 Consensus, enabling the two sides to mold the current status quo.
President Ma stressed that while cross-strait relations have gradually moved towards reconciliation, the two sides still have different opinions on a number of issues and Taiwan encounters various pressures. Consequently, the president hopes the US administration will fulfill its commitment to Taiwan's security under the TRA and support the "Six Assurances" issued by former President Ronald W. Reagan in 1982. At the same time, President Ma hopes the visitors will urge the US government not to neglect the interests of Taiwan when interacting with mainland China.
The RNC delegation led by Chairman Reince Priebus included members Cindy Costa, Solomon Yue, Jr., Bruce Hough, Bruce Ash, as well as Idaho Republican Party Chairman Stephen Yates.