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Posted: Monday 4 January, 2016 at 10:20 AM

Highlights of President Ma’s New Year’s Day Message

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou
ROC Foreign Press Liaison Office Press Release

    ROC President Ma Ying-jeou, in his New Year’s Day message “Eight Years of Reform Create a Better Taiwan,” stressed achievements in diplomacy, relations with mainland China, and social justice, while expressing concerns for the future development of cross-strait ties, Taiwan’s economy, and energy issues. The following is a summary of his remarks. For the full text, see the Office of the President.

     

    Through viable diplomacy, peacemaking efforts, and the provision of humanitarian aid, the ROC has made great progress on the diplomatic front, President Ma pointed out. In terms of security, trade, culture, and education, ties with the United States, Japan, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, New Zealand, and Australia are stronger than they have been in decades. A total of 161 countries or jurisdictions now offer ROC passport holders visa waivers, landing visas, or other visa privileges, compared to 54 in 2008. The ROC passport now ranks in the top 25 in the world for ease of travel.

    Taiwan has also become a more popular travel destination. The main port of entry, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, has been rated as the most efficient in the world, with the best staff. Last year tourist arrivals totaled over 10.43 million discrete visits, up from 3.71 million in 2007.

    There have been numerous breakthroughs in Taiwan’s international participation as well, the president said. The ROC minister of health and welfare has been attending the World Health Assembly every year since 2009, following a hiatus of 38 years. The director general of the Civil Aeronautics Administration took part in the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2013, for the first time in 42 years. In 2010, Taiwan also acceded to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement.

    The ROC has also become a regional peacemaker. In the spirit of its East China Sea Peace Initiative, set forward in August 2012 and calling for the replacement of confrontation with dialogue, peaceful resolution of disputes, and sharing of resources, Taiwan and Japan concluded a fisheries agreement in April 2013, settling a 40-year-old dispute and allowing Taiwan’s fishing boats to operate in over 70,000 square kilometers of fertile waters near the Diaoyutai Islands. 

    Likewise, following the announcement of the South China Sea Peace Initiative in May 2015, advocating the shelving of disputes, pursuit of peace and reciprocity, and promotion of joint exploration and development, Taiwan and the Philippines in November signed the Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters, providing for the avoidance of the use of force, one-hour advance notice before the commencement of law enforcement operations, and release of detained vessels and crews within three days.

    President Ma also noted how he has reiterated the ROC’s long-standing demand that Japan apologize, pay compensation, and give due justice and respect to former “comfort women” from Taiwan, in the wake of the recent consensus between Japan and the Republic of Korea on comfort women.

    The Taiwan Strait is no longer a flashpoint, the president said. Under his administration’s maintenance of the status quo of no unification, no independence, and no use of force, in accordance with the framework of the ROC Constitution, and the promotion of peaceful development based on the 1992 Consensus of “one China, respective interpretations,” Taiwan and mainland China have signed 23 agreements. 

    A major breakthrough came Nov. 7 last year when President Ma met with mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Singapore under conditions of equality and dignity to exchange views on consolidating cross-strait peace and maintaining the status quo. Just a few days ago, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew L.Y. Hsia and Minister Zhang Zhijun of mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spoke over the new cross-strait hotline, a concrete example of the communications mechanism now in place for the peaceful handling of disputes.

    On the future development of cross-strait relations, the president expressed his hope that the next administration will continue his pragmatic and effective policies. He stressed that the 1992 Consensus is the basis for cross-strait interaction, and that the current status quo, founded on that consensus, is widely supported by the public. It is also in conformity with the ROC Constitution and can safeguard peaceful development.

    “Cross-strait peace has been a gradual and cumulative process,” President Ma said. “It didn’t just come out of nowhere and should not be taken for granted. The peace and prosperity we have today were unimaginable during the 1996 Taiwan Strait Missile Crisis” and even as recently as 2006.

    The president noted that while the global economy has been very bad for the past eight years, Taiwan’s economy has continued to grow. The per capita nominal gross domestic product and the GDP based on purchasing power parity have increased significantly, reaching US$22,600 and US$49,000, respectively, while income distribution has become more equitable, ranking 19th in the world. Unemployment has also remained comparatively low.

    Still, Taiwan’s industries need to be upgraded and transformed, but that cannot be done without economic liberalization that will permit the country to leverage international markets. “Only a more open market and stronger economic competitiveness will allow us to bring our economic advantages into full play, and this is a choice that the next administration and our citizens cannot avoid,” President Ma said.

    The president also spoke of the energy issues Taiwan still faces. If continued global warming raises average temperatures by another 2 degrees Celsius, 1.4 million ROC residents could be flooded out by rising sea waters. While the legislature has passed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, Taiwan has committed to cutting its emission to half the 2005 level by 2050, and the administration has pushed hard to develop wind and solar power, greatly increasing the number of wind turbines and solar power capacity, renewable energy sources are still intermittent. They cannot serve as baseload power. Moreover, 98 percent of Taiwan’s energy needs come from imports.

    “We need to carefully choose the energy mix that’s best for us, a mix that avoids power rationing while maintaining reasonable prices, achieves the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, helps to develop alternative energy sources, and gradually reduces our reliance on nuclear power,” he said.

    To conclude his remarks celebrating the founding of the Republic of China, the first democratic republic in Asia, President Ma said that the strengthening of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law have enabled the country to “fulfill its role as a beacon of democracy in the ethnic Chinese world.”

    “Our efforts have allowed the Republic of China to make progress while ensuring stability. Looking ahead, Taiwan still faces formidable challenges. But as long as the new administration embraces the right policy directions and grasps the key to resolving problems, and the people stand united to work hand-in-hand, we will assuredly build a peaceful and prosperous future for the Republic of China, and a better life for future generations.”
     

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