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Ma says cross-strait ties key to better US relations

President Ma Ying-jeou, right, meets with the vice chairman of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Carolyn Bartholomew, at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed confidence yesterday that the lack of mutual trust between the US and Taiwan could be repaired in the near future thanks to the government’s effort to improve cross-strait relations.

Ma made the comments when meeting US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) Vice Chairman Carolyn Bartholomew and other members at the Presidential Office.

Ma said the former Democratic Progressive Party government damaged the mutual trust between the US and Taiwan and said his administration’s efforts in the last three months had successfully lowered tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

“Many of you have been to Taiwan before, but the visit is different from previous trips because the situation across the Taiwan Strait has changed fundamentally,” Ma said.

The president also took the occasion to urge the US government to speed up approval of Taiwan’s long-stalled arms purchases and allow the country to maintain the strength of its national defenses.

The arms in question include P-3C Orion anti-submarine planes, anti-tank missiles, PAC-3 missiles, Apache helicopters, diesel-powered submarines, sea-launched Harpoon missiles and F-16 C/D fighters.

Ma promised to carry out his campaign platform of increasing the defense budget to 3 percent of GDP to show Taiwan’s determination to defend itself.

The president completed his eight-day state visit to Latin America and the Caribbean earlier this week and met or had phone conversations with 31 US congressmen and senators from his hotel during his stopovers in LA and San Francisco.

He said all the US congressmen and senators he met responded positively to his administration’s efforts at improving cross-strait relations and said such a development was in accord with US interests.

In the next few months, Ma said, the government will continue negotiations with China on several issues including cross-strait trade and transportation.

He also reiterated his concept of a “diplomatic truce” with China to ameliorate cross-strait relations, saying it would benefit all involved.

The USCC, created in 2000 by an act of congress, monitors, investigates and submits to congress annual reports on the national security implications of bilateral trade and economic relations between the US and China, and provides recommendations to congress for legislative and administrative action when necessary.

Bartholomew was reappointed to the commission for a fourth term in December by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for whom she had previously served as chief of staff.

Additional reporting by CNA
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