President Johnson of the American Chamber of Commerce, Vice Premier Dr. Wu, Mr. Paal—Director of AIT, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: Good evening!
After the Lunar New Year holiday, during which local families enjoyed their year-end reunion dinner, I have, as in the past years, looked forward to the opportunity to attend the annual Hsieh Nien Fan Banquet of the American Chamber of Commerce. Having the very same spirit of reunion and celebration as the year-end dinner of the Taiwanese people, this banquet brings together our friends who share interests and concerns in Taiwan-US relations. It also provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our past achievements with gratitude and to look forward to a future of prosperity.
Ladies and Gentlemen: For many years, you have served as the communication conduit between the American business community in Taiwan and our government, playing an important role in Taiwan-US economic and trade relations. The Chamber's annual Taiwan White Paper has come up with constructive and salutary advice on Taiwan's current financial and economic policies and investment environment. This publication fully represents the opinions of the American business community in Taiwan, and is a valuable reference for our government. On behalf of the government and the 23 million people of Taiwan, I wish to extend my highest regard and appreciation to each of you.
"Strengthening Taiwan-US economic and trade interactions" is the most important aspect in our comprehensive efforts to upgrade the bilateral relations between Taiwan and the United States. While the focus of most media has been on the development of our political relationship, we are especially gratified that the economic and trade relations between our two countries have continued to grow.
Hard work will definitely yield good results. In November of 2004, bilateral U.S.-Taiwan consultations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) were resumed. The two sides exchanged views candidly and constructively on such issues as agriculture, telecommunication, pharmaceutics, Agreement on Government Procurement, and WTO New Round. Also worthy of mentioning, the United States agreed that Taiwan has made concrete progress in such areas as agriculture, intellectual property rights protection, telecommunication and pharmaceutics. I believe that other bilateral negotiations in the future will produce reciprocal and mutually beneficial results.
I recall fondly the unforgettable experience of tasting the delicious Texas steak during my transit in Houston, June 2001. And I look forward to being able to enjoy American beef here in Taiwan in the near future.
Taiwan has been moved from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List according to the results of the U.S. government's annual 301 out-of-cycle review, announced in January 2005. It attests to the fact that Taiwan's anti-piracy efforts have received recognition from the US. The increase in Taiwan-US trading interaction signifies that, as longtime trading partners, Taiwan and the US have already established a very close relationship.
Last year, with the concerted effort of all our people, our annual economic growth rate reached nearly 6%; and unemployment rate has dropped to 4.06% as of this past January. The formation of a new cabinet also brought about a reinvigorated force to our continued reform and our goal of "establishing a new and stable environment for dialogue and consultation." In a rapidly changing era of globalization, Taiwan has prepared itself fully to make yet another leap in economic transformation.
Tonight I would like to take this opportunity to announce that my administration will uphold the four principles of "expeditiously bringing Taiwan on par with the world", "overall deregulation", "strengthening infrastructure", and "making workforce training a top priority" in the future, in order to create a broader domain for Taiwan's sustainable development and international cooperation.
In the meantime, we will further put "pursuing national reconciliation", "strengthening democratic mechanism", "building cross-strait peace", and "participating in the community of democracy" as the four major goals for deepening Taiwan's democracy and realizing cross-strait peace.
Not long ago, I had the honor to meet with former U.S. President Bill Clinton and we exchanged our views on how to break political impasse and dissolve political confrontation, as well as building the "new middle way" during this critical era.
As to the future development of both Taiwan's domestic politics and cross-strait relations, we will take a pragmatic approach, that is: "reconcililation but not flinching; standing firm yet avoid confrontation." "Reconciliation but not flinching" represents our highest sincerity and goodwill, trying to reconcile through understanding and communication. However, we shall also be persistent in upholding democracy; and we shall remain steadfast on our road to reconciliation.
"Standing firm yet avoid confrontation" signifies our resolve to hold a firm stance while moving forward with pragmatism. In the face of external obstacles and tribulations, we will continuously "take hold of the intent and not act on impulse" to forge consensus amongst the governing party and the opposition, and amongst all our people, so as to counter and eliminate all potential threats and obstacles.
Therefore, it is my most steadfast commitment, and that of the twenty-three million people of Taiwan, to the international community, that we will faithfully fulfill the following two roles: to "balance diverse forces domestically" and to "defend peace in the Asia-Pacific region."
I would like to call on the international community and the leadership on the other side of the Strait to get a clear understanding of the fact that the greatest obstacle between the two sides of the Strait lies in our democratic disparity, not in our political separation. What has introduced uncertainties in the cross-strait relations is not the determination of the 23 million people of Taiwan to pursue democracy and freedom; but rather, it is the other side's reluctance to renounce resolving differences through "unpeaceful" means.
While expounding on the idea of "expansion of freedom" during his 2005 Inaugural Speech, President George W. Bush made an emphasis with the following remark: "…it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture..."
The most pragmatic way to deal with cross-strait issues is to bridge the gap in democratic development and political system by expanding the values of democracy and freedom across the Strait, rather than to impel Taiwan further away from China through "undemocratic and unpeaceful" means. Only by so doing can we preserve the results of private and economic and trade exchanges across the Strait at the current stage, and prevent military threat from being the precursor of uncertainties in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ladies and Gentlemen: You are witnesses to Taiwan's economic development and democratic progress, and observers of our diversified and pluralistic society. We have thrived unwaveringly in the "third wave" of democratization and we have done well in our own democratic achievements: regularly holding democratic elections, building a truly neutral and nationalized military that is not controlled by any individual or political party, protecting freedom and human rights, and completing the transfer of power between political parties, while at the same time maintaining our economic vigor and international competitiveness. What we have relied on all along is precisely the pursuit and implementation of democratic systems and the ideal of peace by our people.
Without democracy and peace, any economic achievement, no matter how glamorous it may be, will entail a lack of transparency and unpredictability. Democracy and peace are the common language between Taiwan and the United States, as well as between Taiwan and the international "community of democracy." They are also the source of vitality that enriches the results of Taiwan-U.S. economic and trade cooperation. Let us work together to ensure lasting economic prosperity for the "alliance of value and cooperation" between Taiwan and the United States.
Thank you all once again and I wish each of you a Happy Lunar New Year and great success in your endeavors.