Last month, ROC President Ma Ying-jeou marked his third year in office with a special address in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan. The speech, which highlighted the government’s great progress in reforming Taiwan’s economic, political and social spectrums, also afforded Ma the opportunity to share his vision for the future of Taiwan.
Since taking office May 20, 2008, the president has performed admirably, tackling an array of new and inherited challenges with aplomb. His administration’s adept handling of the Great Recession, post-Typhoon Morakot reconstruction and the H1N1 virus outbreak was widely lauded at home and abroad.
But it is Ma’s goal of normalizing economic and trade relations between Taipei and Beijing that is key to charting a new course for Taiwan’s revitalization. This strategy has seen both sides of the strait ink 15 agreements over the past three years, confirming the president’s commitment to putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people.
The biggest of these pacts, the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, was concluded in June 2010 and is paying handsome dividends by further opening mainland China and, consequently, the rest of the world to Taiwan.
While the president has passed the economic test with flying colors, it is flexible diplomacy that proves his mettle as a farsighted and pragmatic leader. This policy has brought an end to cross-strait competition for diplomatic recognition and further enhanced the ROC’s standing in the international community.
One of the many benefits stemming from this approach is the nation’s participation for the third year running as an observer in the governing body of the World Health Organization. Of equal significance is that 114 jurisdictions now extend visa-free privileges to ROC nationals, an increase of 61 from three years ago.
Ma has also made praiseworthy headway on advancing human rights in Taiwan. He succeeded in getting two U.N. human rights covenants signed by the ROC in 1967 incorporated into law, and also called for a review of Taiwan’s related laws and regulations so as to ensure they come up to scratch by the end of this year.
But the government is not content to rest on its laurels. The next 12 months of its term will see Taiwan further transformed through the president’s three-pronged national development strategy. This involves safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, ensuring human rights and protecting the environment.
Under Ma’s watch, Taiwan’s 23 million people can look forward to living in a progressive country that stands tall on the international stage and enjoys greater integration in regional and global economies. This prosperous era will deliver benefits for all, and create a fresh start for a stronger Taiwan.
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