Taiwan Communiqué: FAPA Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Taiwan Communiqué: FAPA Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Taiwan Communiqué: FAPA Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Published by:
Formosan Association for Public Affairs 552 7th St. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003 Tel. (202) 547-3686
International edition, December 2012 Published 5 times a year ISSN number: 1027-3999
139
Former Governor Frank Murkowski addressing the FAPA convention at San Jose, CA on 8 December 2012
Taiwan Communiqu
-2-
December
2012
During the years of the Chen Shui-bian administration (2000-2008) the organization worked in sync with the Taiwan government in enhancing US-Taiwan relations, and advocated issues such as a Free Trade Agreement, Taiwans participation in the US Visa Waiver Program, Taiwans membership in international organizations, and support for the principle of self-determination so the people of the island can make a free choice on the countrys future.. Since the election of President Ma Ying-jeou in 2008, FAPA and its members have sounded the alarm bell in Washington about the dangers of closer economic integration of Taiwan with its undemocratic neighbor China, and the not-so- transparent moves of the Ma administration towards closer political linkages with China. At the same time, it has highlighted the erosion of the judicial and democratic institutions in Taiwan in its communications with the US Congress and Obama Administration. The highlight of the celebration were keynote speeches by former Alaska senator and governor Frank Murkowski, by former Taiwan Vice president Annette Lu, by the newly appointed DPP representative to Washington, Dr. Joseph Wu, and a series of congratulatory notes by members of Congress. An overview.
Taiwan Communiqu
-3-
December 2012
Murkowski went on to decry the lack of a fair trial and treatment of former President Chen Shui-bian in prison after his November 2008 arrest and imprisonment on corruption charges. He stated: irrespective of his alleged misdeeds, he did not deserve the inhumane treatment he received at the hands of the current government in Taiwan. He added: The prison conditions are unconscionable and reminiscent of the Soviet Photo: Taiwan Communiqu Union 45 years ago. Murkowski then recounted how he had headed an election observation mission in January 2012 at the invitation of the International Committee for Fair Elections in Taiwan (ICFET), chaired by Prof. Peng Ming-min. He said the group, made up of 19 observers from eight countries, had concluded the elecNewly appointed DPP representative to Washington tions were mostly free but Joseph Wu addressing the FAPA banquet partly unfair due to the lack of a level playing field caused by the overwhelming advantage the ruling Kuomintang has because of its party assets, and also due to the increasing efforts by the PRC to influence the elections. Murkowski concluded by urging the organization to continue its excellent work in Washington by having its voice heard on issues such as freedom and democracy in Taiwan. He said: "Let Washington know that you are proud to be Taiwanese-Americans who still care for their homeland."
Taiwan Communiqu
-4-
December
2012
of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, we also appreciate FAPAs efforts to promote relations between the United States and Taiwan, and to advance our shared interests and common values throughout the world. The two senators from Alaska, who in August 2012 jointly introduced a resolution in the Senate in support of democracy in Taiwan, also wrote congratulatory notes. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote: FAPA has made valuable contributions to US-Taiwan relations since its inception in 1982, and is an important voice for Taiwan with policymakers in Washington, DC and across the country. Her colleague Mark Begich (D-AK) wrote in a separate letter: I support many of your efforts and I am proud to have co-sponsored S.Res. 542, expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States Government should continue to support democracy and human rights in Taiwan following the January 2012 presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan. Two other prominent senators also added their congratulatory remarks. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote: For 30 years, FAPA has been a leading voice for Taiwanese Americans seeking peace, democracy and liberty for the nation of Taiwan.
Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who will be leaving the Senate, had this to say: FAPA has made valuable contributions to US-Taiwan relations since its inception in 1982, and is an important voice for Taiwan on Capitol Hill. As I conclude my career in the Senate, I believe that the relationship between the United States and Taiwan is as strong as it has ever been and that this progress is in no small part due to your efforts. One the House side, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairperson Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) wrote: For many decades, Taiwan has been a reliable friend of the United States, and I have been impressed by the significant political and economic developments that have taken place in Taiwan over the years. While this progress is meaningful, work remains to be done." The Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Howard Berman (D-CA) wrote in a separate letter: I have been a long-time supporter of Taiwan, and have advocated on behalf of the Taiwanese-American community at both the state and
Taiwan Communiqu
-5-
December 2012
national level. This past May, I persuaded the California state government to change its online voter registration system to allow Taiwanese-Americans to list Taiwan as their birthplace, rather than Taiwan, Province of China. Additionally, in July, the Department of Homeland Security agreed, at my request, to change I-94 customs document reflecting Taiwan as place of citizenship, not China (Taiwan) . Several other key Taiwan supporters in the House added their congratulations. Congressman Scott Garrett (R-NJ) wrote: Taiwan clearly has much to offer the global community, and a greater international role for Taiwan is in Americas national interest. I will continue to work hard in support of Taiwans active participation in international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization. His Democratic neighbor from NJ, Mr. Robert Andrews (DNJ), wrote: On July 12th, together with Congressman Dan Lungren, I submitted a report to the co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission regarding the human rights situation of former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. .... I also strongly support the conclusion of a US-Taiwan free trade agreement. Such an agreement will be extremely beneficial for both countries and will also free Taiwan from the current economic stranglehold that Beijing holds over Taiwan. And last but not least, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) lauded the organization on its first thirty years, and added: I introduced legislation this year calling upon the US administration to revisit the fundamentally flawed One China policy in favor of a more realistic One China, One Taiwan policy that would recognize democratic Taiwans sovereignty and independence separate from the undemocratic Peoples Republic of China. It also calls upon the administration to begin the process of resuming normalized diplomatic relations with Taiwan. **************
Taiwan Communiqu
-6-
December
2012
Since then, China has ratcheted up the pressure by continuing to send patrol boats into the area, crossing into Japanese territorial waters. According the press reports, starting from midOctober 2012, Chinese patrol boats entered the disputed waters on an almost daily basis, in what Japanese Coast Guard engaging Taiwanese fishing boats and analysts saw as an Coast Guard in water-cannon fight on 25 September 2012 attempt by China to wear down Japans resolve over the islands, and gradually move to a joint control over the area. According to one analyst, Professor Taylor Fravel, who teaches political studies at MIT, Chinas strategy seemed to be to redefine the status quo by presenting the patrols as routine and forcing Japan to accept Chinas co-management of the area. Mr. Fravel gave the example of the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, where China had done the same with the Philippines, effectively pushing the Philippines out of the area (Chinas Island Strategy: Redefining the Status Quo, The Diplomat, 1 November 2012).
Taiwan Communiqu
-7-
December 2012
Hsieh Chang-ting and the China debate Attending bartenders convention ...
From 4-8 October 2012, Mr. Frank Hsieh Chang-ting visited China, ostensibly to attend a competition of the International Bartenders Association, but it was rather clear from the beginning that the visit would have relatively little to do with mixing drinks, and have a political overtone. Being a former DPP Chairman (2000-2002) and a Prime Minister (Febr. 2005- January 2006), as well as the DPPs presidential candidate in 2008, Hsieh is the highest DPP official to
Taiwan Communiqu
-8-
December
2012
visit China so far. A number of other DPP officials and legislators have visited China on earlier occasions, but Hsiehs visit was perceived by some as a shift in the DPP attitude towards interaction with China. Still, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang emphasized in remarks made in Ilan on 7 October 2012 that Hsieh was on a private visit, and that he did not represent the DPP or its position. Former DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen separately stated that while she supported mutual understanding through exchanges, she cautioned against attaching too much political significance to the visit.
Taiwan Communiqu
-9-
December 2012
statements also played a role in the decision making surrounding the chairing of a new China Affairs Committee which was set up by the DPP in November 2012. Originally Hsieh was mentioned as the potential chair of the committee, but on 21 November 2012, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang announced that he himself would be the convener of the committee, as he as party chairman had the responsibility of integrating different opinions in the party. It was also announced that former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen would join the committee, which would consist of seven to nine members, and would serve as an internal consensus-building platform on the partys positions towards China.
Taiwan Communiqu
-10-
December
2012
This China confusion is only too common: all too often people from Taiwan are denied entry into other countries because their ROC passport gives the foreign immigration officials the impression that the person is from the PRC. All too often when there is a mishap with a China Airlines airplane, the press, unsurprisingly, refers to a Chinese airliner. And when recently a candidate for Congress in the United States accused a competitor of accepting all-expenses-paid trips to Taiwan, the flag used was that of the PRC.
Copyright: Taipei Times
So, against this background we now have a debate within the DPP about its policy towards China. There is a general agreement that economic ties are acceptable, but even there Taiwan will need to watch it steps: too close an economic entanglement with China will give the PRC undesirable political leverage: Taiwan will need to hedge and not put all its economic eggs in the China basket. Frank Hsieh in the "1992 Consensus" jaws: But what policies or positions Ah, there's nothing to worry about! can be devised beyond that? Now former DPP Chairman and Prime Minister Frank Hsieh has come up with yet another formulation: Constitutional One China or Constitutions, different interpretations. To be honest, these fuzzy formulations are just as bad as, or even worse than, the One China confusion of the Ma administration. The DPP needs to stick to its principles, and those are that Taiwan is a free and democratic nation that deserves to be accepted as a full and equal member of the international community. Any decision on Taiwans future needs to be made by the Taiwanese people themselves, in a democratic fashion, without any outside interference. So if the DPP and all the people of Taiwan want to move forward they need to come to a Taiwan Consensus that incorporates at least the three element mentioned in the beginning of this article: 1) removal of Chinas military threat, 2) respect for Taiwans sovereignty and territorial integrity, and 3) international space for Taiwan and membership in international organizations. **************
Taiwan Communiqu
-11-
December 2012
Others say that Xis knowledge about Taiwan, especially of the vast investment and trade relationship, makes a him a formidable adversary, even though the two sides are very comfortable with each other at present and no changes are The new central standing committee of the Chinese likely in the near term. Communist Party in Beijing During the next few years, however, Chinas new leaders could squeeze some concessions out of President Ma, Christopher Johnson, a former CIA analyst and adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said recently. Many China watchers agree that nothing came out of the 18th party congress in Beijing that altered the fundamental calculus of cross-strait relations, and that the legacy of Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin will shape that policy for the foreseeable future. In this view, Taiwan must defend itself more vigorously as a free and sovereign society, since leaders on both sides are following a mutually agreed agenda that is accountable mostly to themselves, their ruling parties, and big corporate interests. Those who see Beijings leaders as unimaginative and inflexible point to the absence of fresh thinking in the voluminous report delivered by outgoing Chinese president Hu Jintao to the opening session of the 18th congress. Hu presented six densely written
Taiwan Communiqu
-12-
December
2012
paragraphs on Taiwan under the heading Enriching the Practice of One Country, Two Systems and Advancing Chinas Reunification. He applauded developments under President Ma which, he said, ushered in a new stage of peaceful growth. Hu mentioned for the first time the so-called 1992 consensus, under which the Ma government agreed to multiple pacts with the Peoples Republic of China. Hu used the phrase peaceful unification five times in just one paragraph. Yet there were no signs of a kinder, gentler PRC that some observers had hoped to see, with more openness and democratic accountability for Chinas single-party Leninist government. Much less was there accommodation for Taiwans separate status as a democratic state. Hu called for further cultural ties and people-to-people exchanges with Taiwan, discussions about confidence-building mechanisms for military security, and a peace agreement through consultation. Mas immediate response to Hu took the form of a congratulatory message on the new leaders promotion and signaled broad agreement on a common agenda, despite the absence of consensus at home. We hope the two sides can continue to expand and deepen their exchanges, and work for the establishment of representative offices in each others side, Ma said, according to the Xinhua news agency. And using the language of ethnonationalism that is unsettling for many Taiwanese, Ma also said, Looking towards the future, the great cause of rejuvenating the Chinese nation is in the ascendant. Responding to Hus renewed calls for deeper integration and political talks, the chairman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party was not so accommodating. Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country, Su Tseng-chang told the Taipei Times. The differences between Taiwan and China, as well as mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, are a political reality that Beijing cannot evade. Taiwans relations with the United States rest on more stable and less controversial ground. Little is known about President Obamas new foreign policy team in his 2nd term, except that it could be shaken up considerably if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton steps down next year. President Mas admirers in Washington remain puzzled at his weak domestic support and his passive compliance in the face of Beijings aggressive agenda-setting. This may make him vulnerable to maneuvering from Xi to come to terms on a peace agreement, an idea which Mas new representative to Washington, King Pu-tsung, tentatively floated last year but was unpopular and quickly pulled back as a formal proposal.
Taiwan Communiqu
-13-
December 2012
Former CIA analyst Johnson said that Xi would likely be realistic about such an agreement, while continuing policies that added lots more Chinese military hardware across the Taiwan Strait. There is no sign they intend a cessation of their military buildup, and in fact they are moving it forward even more dramatically, Johnson said, according to the Taipei Times (Analyst say Xi will not change cross-Strait ties, 28 November 2012). **************
At the end of October and beginning of November 2012, two new opinion polls showed a further drop in popularity of President Ma. The first poll, released by the progreen Taiwan Thinktank on 18 October 2012, focused on opinions on a number of sensitive socio-economic issues: the financial difficulties of the Labor Pension Fund and the controversial year-end bonuses for retired civil servants.
A week later, on 29 October 2012, the highly-regarded Taiwan Indicator Research Survey (TIRS) published its survey results, in which Ma received a disapproval rating of 76.6 %, while his approval rating hit a new low, 15.2%, the lowest measured by the organization since Ma took office in may 2008. The Ma government had always continued the KMT tradition of retaining the loyalty of government employees, military personnel and teachers by granting them
Taiwan Communiqu
-14-
December
2012
sumptuous retirement benefits, including large year-end bonuses not available in other sectors of society. The Taiwan Thinktank survey showed that some 71.8% of the respondents were critical of these bonuses and supported ending them, as projections show that the largesse is not sustainable and will soon lead to depletion of the pension funds. Some 72.6 percent of the respondents were not confident in the ma administrations ability to resolve the issue. The survey showed Ma as having the highest disapproval rating, 69.8%, since the think tank began its surveys on March 2012. The looming fiscal cliff of the pension funds and the general dissatisfaction with President Mas policies prompted the KMT Prime Minister, Mr. Sean Chen, to announce on 23 October 2012 that the government would significantly strip the list of people eligible for the year-end bonuses, essentially bringing the budget down to less than one tenth of the original budget of US$ 690 million. Currently some 432,000 retired civil servants, teachers and military personnel receive the special bonus. Premier Chen said that under the new rules, only some 42,000 people would qualify. The announcement caused a major backlash among the affected groups, which do constitute an important part of the KMTs power base. Under pressure from these interest groups, Mr. Ma who had originally lauded Premier Chen proposals as a wise move started to backtrack again, and indicated a willingness to water the proposals down. This in turn prompted labor groups and other civic organizations to take to the streets to protest the governments economic policies, which had brought the country hardly any growth, and had only benefited big companies exporting jobs to China. At one such demonstration, on 25 November 2012, some 5,000 workers representing some 50 labor groups demonstrated in front of the presidential office, pelting it with eggs.
Taiwan Communiqu
-15-
December 2012
However, a few days later, President Ma rejected the idea, arguing that the existing legislative and administrative structure could adequately deal with the issues, and offering to meet with DPP chairman Su Tseng-chang and Dr. Tsai Ing-wen bilaterally instead.
Copyright: Taipei Times
Su and Tsai responded that the complex issues could not be dealt with in a single meeting, and needed a bi-partisan approach in order to gain broad-based support in society, saying that the existing institutions seemed totally incapable to resolve the issues. Earlier, Dr. Tsai had also criticized the government for its overall economic policies, which she said were tilting President Ma rejects National Affairs Conference proposed by democratic opposition dangerously in the direction of China. She termed this chronic suicide. When the Ma government signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China in June 2010, it promised that the deal would lead to significant economic growth. This has not materialized: according to estimates in early November 2012, Taiwans GDP growth in 2012 is expected to hover around an anemic 1.0%.
Taiwan Communiqu
-16-
December
2012
Ordinary people do not find their livelihoods improving. Salaries have stagnated for a decade. The most visible impact of more open ties with China, which include a free-trade agreement, has been property speculation in anticipation of a flood of mainland money. Housing in former working-class areas on the edge of Taipei, Copyright: Taipei Times the capital, now costs up to 40 times the average annual wage of $15,400. The number of families below the poverty line has leapt. Labour activists have taken to pelting the presidential office with eggs. The piece concludes: But the next election is four years away, and presidential hopefuls The Economist: "Ma the bumbler" will not try to oust or even outshine Mr Ma anytime soon. After all, they will not want to take responsibility for the countrys economic problems. Nothing suggests Mr Mas main policies will change (or that they should), but his credibility is draining by the day. The problems highlighted in The Economist were not the only ones plaguing Mr. Mas position, and Taiwan as a whole. Observers in Taiwan and overseas are also concerned that Mr. Mas drift towards China is undermining Taiwans sovereignty, its freedom, and the countrys international space. Two examples are given below.
Taiwan Communiqu
-17-
December 2012
In mid-October 2012, Mr. Tsai Want Want group was in the news again when it was disclosed that Mr. Tsai was the main person behind the takeover bid of the Next Media group. On 17 October 2012, it was announced in Hong Kong that Next Media owner Jimmy Lai was planning to sell his four media outlets in Taiwan, the Apple Daily, the Sharp Daily, Next Magazine and Next TV to a consortium headed by Chinatrust Charity Foundation chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr. Mr. Lai even stated in an interview with the Apple Daily on 18 October 2012 that he had decided to go ahead with the sale after ensuring that none of the approx. US$ 600 mln. funding came from Tsai. However, on 7 November 2012, Taipei-based Wealth Magazine reported that more than half of the money did come from Tsais Want Want group, causing a public uproar in Taiwan, and prompting calls from legislators for the National Communications Commission to block the sale. In mid-November 2012, DPP chairman Su Tseng-chang also called on President Ma and his government not to allow the sale in order to protect press freedom in Taiwan. Photo: Taipei Times On 17 November 2012, a number of employees of the media group staged a protest in front of the groups headquarters in the Neihu suburb of Taipei. Despite the cold weather and pouring rain, they held up signs and chanted in unison: We want our Apple, down with intervention.
The reporters and editors were particularly concerned about interference in news reporting and editing: Tsai Eng-meng has a history of meddling with reporting and editing in his Want Want / China Times Media Group. One Apple Daily reporter was quoted as saying: Were concerned about editorial independence, . Freedom and independence in the editorial room are the core of a news outlet. On 25 November 2012, students and journalists opposed to the deal started a sit-in protest in front of the Executive Yuan office. Also several major press freedom groups in Taiwan,
Taiwan Communiqu
-18-
December
2012
the Alliance Against Media Monopoly and the Association of Taiwan Journalists again voiced concern that the deal would lead to a media monopoly. However, in spite of the broad popular opposition, the deal was signed on 28 November 2012, with Hong Kong-based owner Jimmy Lai receiving approx. US$ 600 mln. in the transaction. Officially the deal still needs approval by Next Medias shareholders and Taiwan media regulators, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Communications Commission (NCC). While the FTC promised to take a proactive approach to the sale, in practice both regulatory bodies have in the past proven to be rather toothless and lacking any resolve to show some spine. These bodies tend to only move when there is a signal from higher up, but on 28 November 2012 a spokesperson from the KMT Cabinet announced that it has no plans to intervene in the sale of Next Media Groups Taiwan operations.
Taiwan Communiqu
-19-
December 2012
This in turn prompted President Ma to instruct the Mainland Affairs Council to issue a statement, which it did on 23 November 2012. In the statement the Council said that Chinas move had damaged the mutual trust between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and urged Beijing to address the issue of Taiwans sovereignty pragmatically. The United States State Department has also weighed in on the matter: on 27 November 2012, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the map is causing tension and anxiety between and among the states in the South China Sea. She said the US government would bring up the matter with Beijing. Taiwan Communiqu comment: Across the range of issues highlighted above, there are a couple of common denominators: Mas indecisiveness in resolving practical problems affecting the livelihood of so many people in Taiwan, and his single-minded drive to push Taiwan closer to China, at the expense of freedom and liberty in Taiwan and of the countrys sovereignty and international space. For instance, the passport issue shows that in spite of Mas rapprochement with China, the PRC keeps pushing Taiwan into a corner and leaves it little international space. His lack of action in the case of the sale of Next Media shows a disregard for press freedom and a total insensitivity to the issue of Chinese meddling in Taiwans media. On electricity rates and pension reform the developments over the past half year have shown a government that cannot go through an adequate process of decision-making, and arrive at a solution that is supported by a broad base in society. Ma has apparently developed a habit of agreeing to half-hearted measures, only to pull back again when some specific KMT interest group makes some noise. The way he is going about all this has certainly undermined the islands hard-won democracy. **************
Taiwan Communiqu
-20-
December
2012
Taiwan Communiqu
-21-
December 2012
that we continue to support Taiwan as it builds a society based on the ideals of freedom we hold so dear. Senator Brown then urged Mr. Marut to visit the ailing former President.
Taiwan Communiqu
-22-
December
2012
sustained psychiatric treatment, which is not possible in prison, but the authorities have not given the green light for the medical parole that would make that possible. Medical parole would also help heal the nation and get past the political divide that exists in Taiwan today. There is precedent for this in other democratic countries. In the US, no matter what ones political ideology or views on former US president Richard Nixon were, US citizens understood that then-US president Gerald Ford pardoned him to remove the haze of Watergate and get the country back on track. The overriding concern was what was best for the US to heal and get past a difficult, divisive time. Similarly, no matter what his opinion of his predecessor may be, President Ma could engage his second and final term by taking humanitarian action something all sides in Taiwan, and the international community, could agree on.
Taiwan Communiqu
-23-
December 2012
grant President Chen medical parole. Taiwans democracy should be above this kind of political score settling. Taiwan Communiqu comment: Until mid-September 2012 the former President was obviously held as a common criminal under despicable circumstances. The situation of his imprisonment actually brought to light the dire circumstances under which prisoners in general are held in Taiwan: a small, damp cell, with no bed, chair or desk. It was only after many international protests that a gradual change was noted, with Chen being able to exercise one hour instead of only half an hour per day, and his access to a Copyright: Taipei Times room with a chair and a desk for a couple hours per day. On the issue of medical treatment, the KMT authorities were equally reluctant to grant adequate medical care: from February through September 2012, the former president developed increasingly serious medical issues, and it wasnt until there was a whole series of pleas and protests that the government finally relented Chen Shui-bian being moved to a hospital and had him treated in the hospital. And by mid-September 2012 the physical and mental problems were so serious that they required lengthy hospitalization. So, under these circumstances, a medical parole is warranted and even essential. It is highly needed, not only for Mr. Chens well-being, but to start the much-needed process of reconciliation within Taiwan itself. The case has contributed to a serious widening of the political divide, and if President Ma is serious about maintaining a free, democratic and cohesive Taiwan, he needs to take the first step in this process. The two ministries also tried to emphasize that Chen is not a political prisoner. In response we want to emphasize that Chen and his family may well have been tainted by corrupt practices (which were by the way a norm in the KMT itself), but that the way this case has been handled by the Ma administration certainly amounts to a political vendetta not unlike those of old Chinese emperors against their predecessors. **************
FROM: Formosan Association for Public Affairs 552 7th St. S.E. WASHINGTON, DC 20003 ISSN Number: 1027-3999 CONTENTS
The goals of FAPA are: 1) to promote international support for the right of the people of Taiwan (Formosa) to establish an independent and democratic country, and to join the international community; 2) to advance the rights and interests of Taiwanese communities throughout the world; and 3) to promote peace and security for Taiwan Internet homepages: www.fapa.org and www.taiwandc.org SUBSCRIPTIONS: USA (first class mail) Other Countries (airmail) US$ 30.US$ 35.-