President Ma Ying-jeou and Vice President Wu Den-yih invited the presidents, vice presidents, and secretaries-general from the five Yuan (the five branches of the ROC government) to the Presidential Office on the afternoon of December 17 for a reception. The government leaders exchanged opinions on a wide range of issues including the domestic economy, cross-strait relations, the ROC's external relations, sovereignty in the South China Sea, the ROC's maritime interests, and judicial reform.
In remarks, President Ma noted that Taiwan's economic growth in 2014 hit a three-year high of 3.92%. That was the first time in 16 years that our economic growth rate ranked first among Asia's "four little dragons," but he added that global economic growth this year has been poorer than expected. Taiwan's economic growth in the first quarter of 2015 hit 4.04%, but then dropped sharply to 0.57% in the second quarter. Due to the impact of slowing economic growth overseas, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics has forecast Taiwan's economic growth of 1.06% in 2015. "We've all got to be prepared," said the president.
President Ma pointed out that the Executive Yuan has taken a two-pronged approach in its effort to spur the economy. In July of this year it adopted the Measures to Consolidate and Bolster Economic Structure, a mid- to long-term program, to accelerate the upgrading of industry, thereby transitioning Taiwan from an efficiency-driven to an innovation-driven economic structure. Then in October the Executive Yuan adopted the short-term Consumption-Boosting Program to improve domestic demand by expanding the lever effect of the stimulation of citizens' consumption through public-private cooperation. "It appears that these measures have been pretty effective so far, but we have to keep working," said the president.
President Ma then mentioned that the soon-to-conclude session of the Legislative Yuan has passed quite a few bills connected to the public's economic well-being, including the Provisional Statute for Promotion of Volunteer Military Service System. Passed into law in September, this act increases enlistment incentives and safeguards the interests of voluntarily enlisted military personnel to ensure sound national defense capabilities. In addition, the Legislative Yuan has also passed an amendment to the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act so that the next generation can grow up in a safer environment. On November 27, the Legislative Yuan also passed an amendment to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation to add new provisions designed to ensure effective regulation of food safety, safeguarding the public's right to safe food. And on December 15 the Legislative Yuan passed amendments to the Statute for Industrial Innovation, adding new provisions governing employee stock compensation and tax-deferred transfer of intellectual property rights in exchange for stock ownership. These provisions are intended to help companies retain and recruit talent and become more competitive. President Ma commended all of these measures as the result of cooperation between the executive and legislative branches.
Commenting on cross-strait relations, the president stated that since taking office in 2008 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. Over the past seven-plus years the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have signed 23 agreements, so historically, cross-strait interaction is at an all-time high. Because there was ample mutual trust, Taiwan and mainland China were finally able to achieve a major breakthrough. President Ma mentioned that he met on November 7 with mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in Singapore as equals, and with dignity. They exchanged opinions on consolidating cross-strait peace and maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait with an eye toward building a sustainable and solid framework for cross-strait relations.
The president also cited the opinion poll conducted by the Executive Yuan's Mainland Affairs Council, noting that over 60% of the public supports the Ma-Xi meeting, and over 60% agreed with him giving Mr. Xi a full explanation of the 1992 Consensus, which is "one China, respective interpretations." The most important thing is that the Ma-Xi meeting helped build a bridge of peace between the two sides, establishing a new model—based on equality and dignity—for meetings between the two leaders, and consolidating the status quo of peaceful development in cross-strait ties. The cross-strait leaders meeting attracted considerable attention and an overwhelmingly positive response from the international community. International media has published over 1,100 articles on the meeting, calling it a historic breakthrough. The Economist even stated that "The summit was perhaps the biggest concession on a 'core issue' of sovereignty any Chinese leader has made since the early 1980s."
Commenting on foreign relations, President Ma stated that the ROC is pursuing a policy of viable diplomacy based on the principles of pragmatism, dignity, autonomy, and flexibility, and pointed out that on December 16 (US Eastern Standard Time) the US government announced a decision to sell Taiwan US$1.83 billion worth of arms, the largest single arms sale since the US severed diplomatic ties with the ROC in 1979. This is a clear sign, said the president, that "historically, military and security cooperation between Taiwan and the US has never been better."
President Ma further pointed out that in addition to its close and harmonious ties with the US, Taiwan has also won the respect of its diplomatic allies and the larger international community. The number of countries that grant visa-free courtesies or landing visas to ROC nationals, said the president, has gone up from 54 to 158 during his time in office, which shows that the international community sees Taiwan, and its citizens, in a positive light.
Turning to the subject of the South China Sea, President Ma stated that the ROC has exercised jurisdiction over Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba) for 69 years, and while the island is not large, fully 93% of the island's water is fresh water, and there is land suitable for growing vegetables and raising poultry and other farm animals. Quite clearly, said the president, "life thrives on the island." In addition, Taiwan entered into fisheries talks with the Philippines after the Guang Da Xing No. 28 fishing boat incident in 2013, and the two sides on November 5 of this year, after three rounds of negotiations stretching over a period of more than two years, signed the Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters. The agreement establishes the following three principles: avoiding the use of violence or unnecessary force in maritime law enforcement actions; establishment of a mutual notification system for Taiwan and the Philippines for law enforcement actions against each other's fishing vessels; and prompt release of detained fishing vessels and arrested crew members. This is one of the most important breakthroughs to be achieved since the ROC put forward the South China Sea Peace Initiative. Hopefully it will ensure that fishery disputes between Taiwan and the Philippines in their overlapping exclusive economic zones will not be as acrimonious as in the past few decades, and will effectively safeguard the lives and property of Taiwan's fishermen.
Turning to the topic of judicial reform, President Ma pointed out that the Judicial Yuan has been actively promoting judicial reform in recent years. Efforts include the promulgation on July 1, 2015 of an amendment to the Legal Aid Act to provide aid to a broader range of persons under an expanded range of circumstances. In addition to safeguarding the right of the underprivileged to take part in litigation, the amended provisions also allow for more effective use of legal aid resources, and provide for better protection of human rights. The president expressed hope that the Judicial Yuan in the future can be even more closely attuned to public perceptions, and will continue working to implement an advisory jury system so that the people of Taiwan can better understand the workings of the judicial system and come to trust that system more.
President Ma also had words of high praise for Examination Yuan President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖). Under Wu's leadership, said the president, the Examination Yuan has done an outstanding job in reforming the civil service system. Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) has also called recently for regulatory amendments to address the widespread problem of unreasonably low ranks for officials in the police system. The president also called on related entities to study the problem and help deal with it so as to raise police morale.
Noting that more than 80% of the public complaints and cases investigated by the Control Yuan involve human rights issues, President Ma went on to mention that the Legislative Yuan passed the Act to Implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on March 31, 2009, and the act entered into force on December 10 of that same year, thus according high priority to human rights in the work of government agencies at all levels. The president expressed hope that Control Yuan members will be able to act on their constitutional mandate by working together to protect the rights and interests of the people.
In closing, President Ma emphasized that the ROC's constitutional system provides for a five-branch separation of powers, with all branches being equal and interdependent, and said that the ROC government "deserves praise for the progress it is making on many different fronts." Looking to the future, the president called on the five Yuan to coordinate their efforts, cooperate through an appropriate division of labor, and give their all for the greater good.
Among those attending the reception were Premier Mao Chih-kuo, Judicial Yuan President Hau-Min Rai (賴浩敏), Examination Yuan President Wu Jin-lin, 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 Hsu-Tsen Hsiao (蕭旭岑).