Former president of Taiwan Mah Ying-jeou said: “We have been waiting for 13 years. Please do not let us wait for another 13 years to achieve our dream.”
At the World Chinese Economic Summit, Ma, in delivering his speech entitled “The Prospects for Closer Relations between Taiwan and the Asean Economies”, he urged Asean to implement non-exclusion of regional trade agreement.
He said trade should be profit-oriented. A non-exclusion trade agreement would benefit all parties.
He said Asean regional trade agreements, such as free trade agreements, have initiated exclusion policies under the requirements of World Trade Organisation. Under political and diplomatic factors, Taiwan has encountered various obstacles.
“We are unable to participate |in all the main regional trade |agreements,” he said.
Ma added: “I sincerely hope all Southeast Asia counties can support the move of including Taiwan into your free trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Asia Pacific Free Trade Agreement. These collaboration would for sure benefit all people.
Taiwan is capable of playing a very important role in supply chain. We are also very advance in new technologies.”
He said when he was attending the East Asian Economic Forum organised by the World Economic Forum in Singapore, in his capacity as Taipei mayor in 2003, he gave a speech that touched on collaborations and integration with Asean economies and Taiwan’s wish to join.
During Ma’s eight years as Taiwan president, the country signed free trade agreements with China, Singapore and New Zealand.