CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION LED BY REPRESENTATIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 001209 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS TO HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE FOR REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO STATE PASS USTR FOR STRATFORD AND KATZ USDA FOR FAS/OCRA FOR RADLER, BEILLARD, FAS/OSTA FOR HAMILTON, BEAN, DAWSON, FAS/OFSO FOR BREHM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EAGR MARR US TW SUBJECT: CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION LED BY REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO MEETS WITH PRESIDENT MA YING-JEOU SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Congressional delegation led by Representative Jerry Costello (D-IL) met with President Ma Ying-jeou at the Presidential Office on August 11. Ma noted the delegation was the largest to visit Taiwan in recent years, and said he hoped more Congressional and Staff delegations would visit Taiwan in the future. Ma said the improvement of cross-Strait relations will not affect Taiwan's arms procurement from the U.S., and he expressed hope that the U.S. administration will soon notify pending arms sales to Congress. Rep. Costello assured Ma that Congress will be prepared to act expeditiously on arms notifications sent over from the Executive branch. Ma expressed appreciation for U.S. support for Taiwan's efforts to participate in international organizations, including WHO, explaining that Taiwan hopes to become an observer at the WHA. He mentioned Taiwan's interest in an FTA, and told the delegation Taiwan is looking for a way to resolve the beef issue. Members of the delegation expressed strong support for U.S.-Taiwan relations and told Ma they would encourage their colleagues to visit Taiwan. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) The Congressional delegation from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure led by Representative Jerry Costello (D-IL) met with President Ma Ying-jeou at the Presidential Office on August 11. President Ma welcomed the group, observing it was the largest Congressional delegation to visit Taiwan in recent years. Noting the contribution of Congressional visits to improving mutual trust and U.S. understanding of Taiwan, Ma expressed hope more Congressional and staff delegations will visit in the future. Noting the delegation's interest in Taiwan's airplane repair facilities and High Speed Rail (HSR), President Ma said these were two areas in which Taiwan has made notable achievements in recent years. He suggested there might be a market for high speed rail in certain areas of the U.S., such as the northeast corridor between Boston and Washington. ¶3. (SBU) Since taking office on May 20, Ma emphasized, the new government has been working to improve mutual trust between Taiwan and the U.S., which was damaged over the past eight years of the previous administration. Ma said he was pleased to see President Bush's recent positive assessment of the ongoing improvement of cross-Strait relations in an interview with Asian journalists. The improvement of cross-Strait relations, which has a positive effect on U.S.-Taiwan relations, will not affect arms procurement from the U.S., he stressed. Taiwan is determined to strengthen its defense capability and to maintain defense spending at 3 percent of GDP. Taiwan sent a weapons procurement list to the U.S. last year, Ma recalled, and he hoped the U.S. administration would soon notify these sales to Congress. Ma noted Taiwan's wish to sign an FTA with the U.S. in the future. He told the delegation that Taiwan is looking for a way to solve the U.S. beef import issue that accords with the interests of both sides. ¶4. (SBU) Thanking President Ma for taking time to meet with the delegation, Rep. Costello explained that their visit had two purposes: to show that the U.S. values and wants to continue strengthening the long-term U.S.-Taiwan relationship, and to learn about transportation in Taiwan. Noting the delegation had ridden Taiwan's world-class HSR the day before, he pointed out that his committee was working to promote HSR in the U.S., adding that he was interested in a potential route from Chicago to St. Louis. Rep. Costello introduced the other members of his delegation and invited them to ask questions or offer comments. Rep. Tim Holden TAIPEI 00001209 002 OF 003 (D-PA),who explained he was also a member of the House Agriculture Committee, expressed hope Taiwan would lift the impediments to imports of U.S. pork and certain beef products. He pointed out that beef and pork, which are important U.S. export commodities, fully meet requisite health standards. Responding that he looked forward to cooperating on such issues, President Ma said that every product should be given a fair opportunity. ¶5. (SBU) Rep. John Duncan (R-TN) underscored the close connections between Tennessee and Taiwan and the value of U.S.-Taiwan friendship. Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) stressed that it was important that such a large delegation had been able to visit Taiwan. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) noted her interest in HSR in Texas and said she was always pleased to be on record supporting Taiwan. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA) expressed appreciation for the close relationship between Taiwan and Massachusetts. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) emphasized the visit had given him an understanding of the critical importance of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and said he looked forward to working to further enhance the relationship. Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) recalled her previous visit to Taiwan as Lt. Governor of Oklahoma, noting that Oklahoma and Taiwan have close relations in science, technology, and business. She expressed her support for Taiwan, pointing out that Taiwan and the U.S. share a love of liberty and freedom. Rep. Henry Brown (R-SC) also emphasized the importance of U.S. Taiwan relations, and said he was pleased that four Kidd class destroyers provided to Taiwan had been refurbished in his state at Charleston. ¶6. (SBU) Rep. Costello told President Ma that the intention of Congress is to act quickly once the administration submits notification requests to Congress for arms sales to Taiwan. On Taiwan's interest in an FTA, he explained that important new decisions like a possible FTA would be up to the next administration that will come into office after the U.S. presidential election. No matter who is elected, the U.S. desire will be to maintain and continue to further develop the strong relationship we have had over the past 50 years, Rep. Costello assured Ma. ¶7. (SBU) Making a point that there is no contradiction between arms procurement and the improvement of cross-Strait relations, President Ma recalled that Taiwan bought 160 F-16s from the U.S. and at the same time reached the 1992 consensus with the mainland during the early 1990s. Taiwan accepted the "one China principle, but with different interpretations," under which the PRC and ROC coexist and do not challenge each other's different definitions of ONE China. This position provided the basis for resuming cross-Strait negotiations in June and for opening weekend cross-Strait charter flights and bringing Chinese tourists to Taiwan. Taiwan intends to pursue more negotiations on cross-Strait economic relations, including investment guarantees, taxation issues, high-tech specifications, and allowing Taiwan's financial service industry to enter the mainland. The improvement of cross-Strait relations will contribute to peace and stability in the region, Ma stressed. Taiwan, which hopes for U.S. support, wants to be a responsible stakeholder in the region, a peacemaker, and not a troublemaker. ¶8. (SBU) "International space" is another important issue for Taiwan, Ma continued. Taiwan hopes to join or participate in the activities of various international organizations in the future. The U.S., Japan, and EU have been very helpful in supporting Taiwan's efforts to participate in the WHO, and Taiwan hopes at least to become an observer at the WHA. As attested by the SARS outbreak TAIPEI 00001209 003 OF 003 five years ago, HEALTH is a human rights, not a political, issue, Ma observed. The people of Taiwan would benefit from having more information on HEALTH issues, and Taiwan, with its high-quality HEALTH care system, can provide assistance to WHO members. ¶9. (SBU) Explaining that the delegation he was leading was bipartisan, Rep. Costello said the group would work to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan relations and would also let the next administration understand that this was their wish. He said he hoped to visit Taiwan again and would encourage other Congressional delegations to visit Taiwan. President Ma and Rep. Costello commented on the important role played by AIT in the relationship. Ma noted that France and Germany have copied the AIT model, and although AIT is an unusual institution, it has proven very effective. ¶10. (U) The delegation did not have an opportunity to clear this cable. YOUNG