President Ma Ying-jeou says he hopes that the SelectUSA investment program’s CEO forum can become a regular event. He was speaking on Monday while meeting with the United States’ Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Robert Wang.
Ma said that not only have the United States and Taiwan worked closely on security, trade has increased as well. He said that many Taiwanese companies have participated in the SelectUSA investment program. He said he agreed with the United States’ intention of holding regular events in the future, and eventually creating a CEO forum.
Ma said, “In the second half of March, the US will hold a SelectUSA forum in Washington. The chairman of Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Francis Liang, will lead a delegation of medium and large sized corporations to the event to meet with heads of US enterprises. We hope the CEO forum can become a regular event.”
Ma said that since he took office, Taiwan-US relations and cross-strait relations have improved to their most stable point in a decade. He said the Taiwan Relations Act, which defines non-diplomatic ties between the two sides, is entering its 36th year. Ma said the US has maintained good ties with Taiwan by continuing to sell the country defensive weapons. That includes US President Barack Obama’s approval last December of the sale of Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates to Taiwan.