President Ma Ying-jeou says that Taiwan’s economic performance has helped it overcome political hurdles ever since its withdrawal from the United Nations in 1971. He made the comments Monday when meeting with a foreign delegation in Taipei.
“Taiwan has been facing challenges on the diplomatic front. But the Republic of China [on Taiwan] is the 18th largest economy in the world," said Ma. "We have many world leading products in the IT and solar power industries. So with our economic prowess and the support of our allies, we have been able to increase our international profile step-by-step over the years.”
Ma said that like many countries, Taiwan is trying to join regional trade blocs. And in order to create favorable conditions, he said, Taiwan has been signing free trade agreements with its trading partners. Since 2010, Taiwan has signed trade agreements with China, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore. Taiwan is hoping to join the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
President Ma said that the Republic of China, which is the official name of Taiwan’s government, was one of the original members of the United Nations (UN). Although the name “Republic of China” is still in the UN charter, Taiwan has not been able to attend almost any of the UN events since its withdrawal from the global body. (MORE)
Ma said that since he took office six years ago, his administration has been trying to improve relations with China and other countries by implementing what he calls “viable diplomacy”. He said it is now possible to see concrete results of his efforts.