The president then briefed the visitors on the government's achievements in recent years in improving cross-strait relations. He noted that over the past seven years the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have signed 23 agreements, and between the APEC meetings in October of 2013 and May of this year, the ministers in charge of cross-strait affairs from both sides of the Strait have held five formal meetings where both sides used their official titles. In addition, the number of mainland students studying in Taiwan jumped from 823 prior to his taking office to about 33,000 last year, a 40-fold increase. Mainland Chinese also made four million tourist visits to Taiwan in 2014 alone. Even more important, since the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) was signed, Taiwan's exports to the mainland have increased, and US$2.5 billion in tariffs have been eliminated. Small and medium-sized enterprises account for half of the companies benefited from that trend. All of these developments show that the situation in the Taiwan Strait is now more peaceful and prosperous than it has ever been in the 66 years since the two sides came under separate governance.
As for progress in the ROC's relations with the international community, the president stated that three years ago he proposed the East China Sea Peace Initiative, hoping to reduce tension in the East China Sea while urging the relevant parties to resolve disputes according to international law. In 2013 Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement, thus resolving fishing disputes between the two sides that had lasted 40 years. This past May, the ROC further unveiled the South China Sea Peace Initiative based on the principle that although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared. The president also in June published an article in The Wall Street Journal, explaining the spirit of the South China Sea Peace Initiative.
【Source: Office of the President】