Taiwan President lauds benefits of stronger ties with US, China

TAIPEI - President Ma Ying-jeou has again confirmed that Taiwan is committed to developing its multilateral relations and advancing peace and prosperity throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan has already substantially strengthened ties, most notably with the US and mainland China, since he took office in May 2008, Ma told a visiting US delegation from the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“Taiwan-US relations are at their strongest in 30 years,” he said, while cross-strait relations had seen significant improvements. Taipei and Beijing have signed 21 agreements and reached two points of consensus to date, he said, while the number of mainland Chinese visitors and students in Taiwan hit 2.85 million and 25,000, respectively, in 2013.
Addressing concerns about Taiwan’s economic dependence on mainland China, Ma said Taiwan should continue pursuing trade liberalisation to avoid being left on the sidelines of Asia-Pacific economic integration.
He cited an August 4 Wall Street Journal article that said removing obstacles to cross-strait trade and investment is the key to maintaining Taiwan’s competitiveness. "As mainland China is the world’s second-largest economy and Taiwan’s top trading partner, Taiwan should capitalise on its geographical proximity and seize the opportunity to ensure future peace and prosperity," Ma said. www.taiwantoday.tw (ATI).