“The TRA provides the legal framework for many agreements signed between Taiwan and the U.S., including a potential bilateral investment agreement. With solid bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, our two countries have maintained strong political, security, economic and cultural ties that have helped ensure and enhance peace and stability in East Asia,” Ma said.
The president made the remarks during a video conference April 9 hosted by Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Ma said the TRA, which was signed into law April 10, 1979, provides a comprehensive framework for exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S. in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
“Continued American backing, under the mandate of the TRA, for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations is another present-day example of U.S. support for our foreign policy goals,” he said, adding that Taiwan’s observer status in the World Health Assembly and attendance as a guest at last September’s International Civil Aviation Organization assembly underscores this commitment.
The president also extended his appreciation to U.S. officials for acknowledging Taiwan’s vital role as a peacemaker in East Asia.
Ma singled out U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel, who described the East China Sea Peace Initiative as “at the heart of the U.S. strategy and the U.S. effort, namely respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes” in testimony Feb. 5 before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Proposed by Ma in August 2012, the initiative elevates peaceful negotiation over confrontation, reduces emphasizes on the territorial nature of the dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands and focuses on resource sharing and cooperation.
The initiative has helped further boost Taiwan’s credentials as a peacemaker and provider of humanitarian aid, the president said. This is illustrated by the country’s support of Japan and the Philippines following natural disasters, as well as resolving fisheries disputes with both countries, and there is no reason why the spirit of the initiative should not apply to disputes in the South China Sea, he added.
Concerning Taiwan-U.S. trade, Ma said the two sides are important trading partners for one another. Now that talks under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement have resumed, Taipei and Washington can look forward to a more robust and comprehensive economic relationship, and work toward launching bilateral investment agreement negotiations, he added.
The president said he expects the U.S. to assist Taiwan in joining regional trade blocs such as Trans-Pacific Partnership, a development essential to improving Taiwan’s competitiveness and minimizing the threat of economic marginalization.
“A TPP with Taiwan’s membership would not only assure Taiwan’s economic security, but would also help strengthen the economic presence of the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific region,” Ma said.
Liberalization and globalization are innovative new directions for Taiwan’s economy, the president said, adding that U.S. assistance in achieving these goals through securing greater regional economic integration for the country would mark the beginning of a new chapter in the Taiwan-U.S. partnership.
Regarding cross-strait relations, Ma said that since taking office in May 2008, he has pursued a policy of maintaining the status quo under the principles of no unification, no independence and no use of force according to the ROC Constitution and 1992 consensus.
Cross-strait relations are at their highest level in over six decades, the president said, with two sides completing 10 rounds of talks and signing 21 agreements covering agriculture, economic exchanges, health, judicial assistance, science and transportation, as well as the proposed establishment of reciprocal representative offices.
Earlier this year, ROC Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi met his mainland Chinese counterpart Zhang Zhijun of the Taiwan Affairs Office in Nanjing—the first official meeting between government representatives of the two sides.
“These developments prove that viable diplomacy and cross-strait relations are indeed complementary and constitute a virtuous cycle,” according to Ma, who said his administration, with the support of the people, will continue cross-strait exchanges. (YHC-JSM)
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