President Ma Ying-jeou, in the company of Vice President Vincent C. Siew, met on the morning of May 3 with the delegation from Taiwan that will attend the 7th Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Cultural Forum. The president acknowledged the positive impact that the forum has had on the development of cross-strait relations, and expressed his hope for a successful event.
The president commented that the focus of this year's forum is on mainland China's 12th Five-Year Plan and Taiwan's "Golden Decade" initiative. In addition, representatives from both sides will examine implementation of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and other economic and trade topics. Discussions may also touch on nuclear safety. All of these topics are of urgency to Taiwan, the president said, adding that participants will also discuss cross-strait cultural interaction among youth.
President Ma stated that cross-strait relations have progressed considerably over the past three years. On the trade and economic front, the two sides have signed 15 agreements, and in the first quarter of this year alone Taiwan's exports to mainland China exceeded US$30 billion, up 14% year-on-year, while exports of agricultural products to the mainland increased by a factor of greater than 15, from US$2 million in the first quarter of last year to US$33 million in the same period this year. These figures represent only the initial benefits of the ECFA era, and even greater trade and economic interaction can be expected in the future when tariffs are reduced further, according to the president.
President Ma stressed that the government is working to improve Taiwan's relationship with the international community at the same time that cross-strait relations strengthen, thus creating a virtuous circle. As an example, the president noted that in the first quarter of this year trade between Taiwan and mainland China grew 14%, and in the same period Taiwan's trade with ASEAN nations grew by over 30%, which demonstrates that Taiwan is not putting all of its eggs in one basket. The president furthermore stated that as mainland China increasingly emphasizes domestic demand, Taiwan will look to grab a slice of this new market, providing mainland Chinese consumers with high quality Made-in-Taiwan products. This will help Taiwan to further diversify its overseas markets, he said. The president also spoke of tourism, pointing out that Taiwan received 5.56 million overseas visitors last year. Even though mainland Chinese accounted for only one quarter of that total, they were important in helping to drive the development of Taiwan's tourism industry. He also noted that the numbers of visitors from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macao, and Japan rose considerably last year.
The president remarked that while the two sides still have many differences, especially in the area of international affairs, the improvement in cross-strait ties over the past three years has helped to create more room for Taiwan to participate in the international community. This has also afforded the people of Taiwan greater willingness and confidence to forge even deeper cross-strait ties, he said, which will generate a win-win situation. President Ma expressed his hopes that the forum will serve as an important foundation for the resolution of problems between the two sides and planning for the future.
Taiwan's delegation to the 7th Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Cultural Forum to be held in mainland China’s Chengdu City include Kuomintang (KMT) Honorary Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung, KMT Vice Chairmen Lin Fong-cheng and John H. Chiang, KMT Central Advisory Council Chairmen Tsai Cheng-wen and Chang Jung-kung, KMT National Development Institute President and Mainland Affairs Department Director Gao Hui, KMT Central Advisory Council Member Lee Chien-rong, People United Party Chairperson Hsu Jung-shu, and New Party Information Department Chief Chen Qinfu. The group visited the Presidential Office in the morning to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Presidential Secretary-General Wu Jin-lin and National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen.
【Source: Office of the President】