President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of November 3 with a delegation led by US-Taiwan Business Council Chairman Paul D. Wolfowitz. During the discussions, the president expressed hope that the US will support ROC participation in the second round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which would help Taiwan join that regional economic integration mechanism.
In remarks to the delegation, President Ma said that the US-Taiwan Business Council was founded in 1976 as a private organization to promote the bilateral trade and economic relationship. Chairman Wolfowitz previously served as the president of the World Bank Group, US undersecretary of defense for policy, and assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. Since becoming chairman of the US-Taiwan Business Council in 2008, he has strived to promote cooperation between the ROC and the US, and has been an important force in strengthening bilateral relations, the president said.
President Ma stated that Taiwan-US relations are presently better than they have ever been in the 36 years since the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) came into effect. Over the past seven years, the number of agreements that the two sides have signed has increased to 147, which is a 63% rise from the 90 before he took office in 2008. The president also pointed out that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton, in an address delivered in May, referred to Taiwan as "a vital partner" of the US in Asia and recognized how good Taiwan-US relations are. She also stressed that "the US-Taiwan 'unofficial relationship' has never been better.… And it must be said that an important ingredient of the close cooperation in recent years has been the stable management of cross-Strait ties." This statement accurately reflects the "reality of interdependence" in relations involving Washington, D.C., Taipei, and Beijing, the president said.
President Ma stated that Taiwan and the US have enjoyed close cooperation in trade and economics. Taiwan last year vaulted past India and Saudi Arabia to become the 10th largest trading partner of the US, while the US has surpassed Japan to once again become Taiwan's second largest trading partner. US Department of Commerce statistics show that trade in goods between Taiwan and the US last year reached US$67.4 billion, which was 6% higher than 2013, he said.
The president noted that over the past seven years Taiwan has posted an aggregate trade surplus of US$96.4 billion with the US. So Taiwan is working to balance bilateral trade, including spending US$18.3 billion acquiring defensive materiel, sending four agricultural missions that bought US$12.3 billion of US agricultural products, and placing orders for Boeing aircraft worth over US$20 billion. In addition, the ROC has responded to the SelectUSA investment initiative by pledging some US$13.1 billion.
President Ma then remarked that since negotiations resumed under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), there has also been progress in related ROC-US negotiations and cooperation. Taiwan is thus closely cooperating with the US on negotiations for the Information Technology Agreement Expansion (ITA II), Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), and Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) that the US is actively pursuing under the World Trade Organization framework.
The president mentioned that the first round of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was recently completed, and that US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel has said that the US will give Taiwan serious consideration as a candidate for TPP membership. The president noted that because TPP members absorb 35% of the Taiwan's external exports and the ROC's participation will benefit both Taiwan and the TPP, we are very interested in participating in Round 2.
As for bilateral cooperation in the area of security, the president said that since he took office in 2008 major arms sales to Taiwan by the US have reached US$18.3 billion, the highest total in the past 20 years. Last year the US Congress also agreed to sell the ROC four Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates. In addition, when screening the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 this past May, the US Congress invited Taiwan to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) and Red Flag training exercises. So Taiwan is not just procuring arms from the US, but also enjoys closer collaboration on security issues with the US than ever before. The president expressed gratitude on behalf of the government and people of the ROC for the US government's long-term adherence to and implementation of the TRA and the Six Assurances.
President Ma then shared with the visitors the government's achievements in recent years in improving cross-strait relations. He stressed that since he took office his administration 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. The Taiwan Strait has thus been transformed from a potential flashpoint into an avenue of peace.
The president also mentioned that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROC's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and Taiwan's retrocession. The government has invited descendants of former US Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and relatives or descendants of foreign friends who assisted the ROC during the war to come to Taiwan to participate in the commemorative activities. "They were appreciative of the invitations, and we were very touched," the president remarked.
President Ma emphasized that while expansionist aggression is a mistake that may be forgiven, the truths of history cannot be forgotten. The support of the government and people of the US during the war was critical, and will always be remembered by the government and people of the ROC.
After President Ma completed his remarks, Chairman Wolfowitz also spoke, first praising the work carried out by President Ma in improving cross-strait relations. Chairman Wolfowitz believes that the president's accomplishments will go down in history. He furthermore said that progress in cross-strait relations shows that the two sides can improve interaction without the people of Taiwan having to relinquish their freedom. This, he noted, is extremely important for the Taiwan public and relations between Taiwan and the US. At the same time, he also pledged that the US-Taiwan Business Council will make every effort to support Taiwan's participation in the TPP.
The delegation was led by US-Taiwan Business Council Chairman Wolfowitz and President Rupert J. Hammond-Chambers.