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Ma reiterates commitment to defense

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008, Page 3

President Ma Ying-jeou speaks during the opening ceremony of an international forum on clean government in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES

Improved cross-strait relations will not affect the administration’s plan to procure arms from the US, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.

Ma said Taiwan must demonstrate its determination to defend itself, adding that he hoped to see the defense budget take up 3 percent of GDP.

As Taipei had already presented the list of items for procurement to Washington last year, Ma said he hoped Washington would proceed according to the due legal process.

Ma made the remarks while meeting members of the US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.

Ma told the visiting delegation that his administration had been working hard to improve relations with Washington, which he said were compromised during the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.

While Taipei is mending ties with Washington, it is also important to improve relations with Beijing at the same time, Ma said.

A hostile Taipei-Beijing relationship was bound to affect ties between Taipei and Washington, he said. Once the relationship between Taipei and Beijing improves, Ma said the ties between Taipei and Washington are bound to “take a giant leap forward.”

Ma also expressed the hope that Taipei could sign a free-trade agreement with the US like “two normal countries,” saying such a trade pact would be mutually beneficial. Ma said his administration and Washington have been working hard to find a way to speed up the process.

At a different setting yesterday morning, Ma warned of the impact of government corruption, saying it could result in public disappointment and despair.

“Fighting corruption and advocating clean government is the global trend and the administration’s top priority,” he said.

To achieve this goal, Ma said it was vital that national leaders and government officials be committed to combating corruption and for society to support it.

Ma made the remarks while addressing an international forum on clean government in Taipei.

The president highlighted the need for adequate compensation for civil servants to minimize corruption.

While there have been complaints that some anti-corruption regulations were too strict, Ma said several of the measures were successfully implemented during his tenure as justice minister and Taipei mayor.

“There is nothing wrong with a civil servant living a simple life,” he said.

Ma said when he served as justice minister 15 years ago, Taiwan placed 25th in global rankings of the world’s most clean governments.

Taiwan slipped to 35th place last year, he said.

He would like to see a cleaner government, as a cleaner government would make the country more competitive.
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