President Ma Ying-jeou says that closer ties between Taiwan and China over the past seven years have brought many benefits to Taiwan. Ma’s comments were published on Sunday in The Wall Street Journal.
President Ma said that his administration has transformed Taiwan’s relationship with China from one marked by confrontation and conflict into one marked by negotiation and rapprochement. The president said that Taiwan’s relations with the rest of the world have also been much better over the past seven years because of warming ties with China. Ma said people should cherish these accomplishments.
The president also said that closer trade ties with China are benefiting Taiwan’s small and medium-sized businesses, especially in making money off the swell of mainland tourists. He said economic growth last year was robust and that the stock market has been soaring, with the benchmark Taiex index surpassing 10,000 points.