February 23, 2015
MAC News Release No. 012
Since taking office in 2008, President Ma Ying-jeou has been committed to establishing cross-strait relations of sustainable peace and prosperity. The MAC has recently received visits by international dignitaries for exchanges of views on cross-strait relations and international events. The visitors have shown a strong interest in the historic meeting between the heads of cross-strait competent authorities and also in the start of cross-strait official interactions and regular communication and liaison mechanisms. They have not only expressed support and friendship for Taiwan, but also noted the vitality and contribution of Taiwan's participation in the world as an important force and valuable asset in the international community.
With the development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, the international community has paid increasing attention to cross-strait exchanges and negotiation issues; warm exchanges have been conducted between the MAC and international visitors. Last year (2014), the MAC received nearly one hundred international delegations with a total of over 500 visitors.
The foreign visitors have included government officials, parliament speakers (members), members of pro-Taiwan groups or important think tanks, scholars, international media, and youth leader representatives. The focal issues of concern during these visits have been the status of cross-strait exchanges, the results from implementing cross-strait agreements, ongoing cross-strait negotiation issues, establishment of reciprocal institutions, and Taiwan's mainstream public opinion on cross-strait development trends.
"Cross-strait economic and trade exchanges" and "promoting membership in regional economic organizations" are also issues of interest to international visitors. The issues most frequently inquired by visiting government officials, chairs and members of finance and economic committees, think tanks, and scholars are related to the government's promotion of Taiwan's membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), as well as how the MAC follows the principle of "economic matters before political ones," "easy matters before difficult ones," and "urgent matters before non-urgent ones" in cross-strait economic and trade negotiations. Furthermore, the international media have closely watched the government's handling and response to the Sunflower Student Movement last March, cross-strait economic and trade follow-up negotiations, and legislation of the Supervisory Act for cross-strait agreements.
Taiwan has shown its soft power in the course of cross-strait interactions. The impact of Taiwan's long-term dedication to advocating universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and also the influence Taiwan has on mainland China has been fully acknowledged by the visiting dignitaries and evoked lively discussion with among the visitors. The visiting dignitaries have also affirmed the efforts and achievements of the ROC government in adopting the "building-blocks" approach to promote cross-strait exchanges, build cross-strait mutual trust, create dividends for the two sides, seek the greatest well-being for the people of Taiwan, and to maintain lasting peace in the Taiwan Strait.