The president told Chairman Burghardt that over the past seven years the ROC government 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. "This is an important foundation in maintaining the status quo," the president said. Taiwan and mainland China have signed 21 agreements and reached consensus on two issues, and the number of visits made by mainland tourists to Taiwan last year exceeded 3.94 million, about a 14-fold increase prior to his taking office. The two sides also maintain frequent interaction, with the current level of cross-strait peace and stability unprecedented in the 66 years since the two parties came under separate rule. Nonetheless, problems still arise in cross-strait relations, the president noted, specifically pointing to the M503 flight route just west of the median line of the Taiwan Strait designated by mainland China at the end of last year. The ROC government protested that route immediately, and after several months of negotiations the two sides reached an agreement to move the M503 flight route six nautical miles west, while also stipulating that flights can only make use of the single newly proposed route flying one-way north to south. Furthermore, fighter jets are not allowed to use that route, he said. Meanwhile, the originally proposed W121, W122, and W123 [east-to-west] flight routes are not being used. The president noted that few flights have actually used the M503 route since it opened for commercial services on March 29.
The president said that in November last year former Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) instructed the Ministry of Finance to assess Taiwan's possible participation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). After carefully reviewing the international situation, the ROC then decided to take part in the AIIB and hoped to become a founding member. "Clearly a number of political considerations emerged that could not be overcome," the president said. However, mainland authorities still expressed their willingness to enable Taiwan to become an ordinary member. "We also stressed that we must be a formal and complete member," he said. The president is confident that Taiwan's form of participation and name in that body will become clearer after the AIIB's charter is released this coming June.
The president then explained that the objective of the ROC's AIIB participation is to assist Asian nations develop infrastructure. Taiwan has long been a member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and several decades ago it ceased borrowing from the ADB, moving from being a recipient nation to a donor. The president believes that Taiwan will play a similar role in the AIIB in the future. Participation in the AIIB is also crucial to Taiwan's involvement in regional integration, as almost all of Asia's major nations are involved. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait can also take advantage of this opportunity to expand bilateral economic cooperation, he said.
The president also mentioned that cross-strait relations have recently been a focus of concern among the public. Some individuals are skeptical about the existence of the 1992 Consensus, but the president said that the consensus has in fact been in existence for 23 years and that this can be proven through various documents over this period. "Not only does it exist, but also it has been in effective use for seven years," President Ma stated. He added that after taking office he enthusiastically implemented the 1992 Consensus, and that without it, the current status quo would be impossible. The president stressed that when we abide by the 1992 Concensus, cross-strait relations flourish. If we diverge from it, cross-strait relations will deteriorate. And if we oppose it, there will be turmoil in the Taiwan Strait. Any political figure who understands history cannot neglect this fact, he said. As to the meaning of "status quo," the president remarked that we hope to maintain the status quo, meaning the current status quo and not the status quo of seven years ago. No one in Taiwan hopes to maintain the status quo of seven years ago.
【Source: Office of the President】