President Chen Shui-bian received Mr. Bastiaan Belder, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament this morning and the two exchanged opinions on matters of mutual concern.
On behalf of the government and the people of the Republic of China, Chen welcomed Belder on his first trip to Taiwan. The president said that it is his understanding that Belder has accepted the duty of writing a report on China from the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and that it is his hope that gaining a deeper understanding of Taiwan would be of benefit in his report.
The president expressed his thanks to the European Parliament for its long-term and resolute support for Taiwan and security in the Taiwan Strait, especially for the highest level of concern that the members of the European Parliament, regardless of individual or party, have expressed over the March 14 passing of the Anti-separation Law by China, a law which authorizes the use of non-peaceful, military means for solving the cross-Strait disputes. He said that the European Parliament has passed 8 separate pronouncements in the 5th and 6th sessions expressing grave concern over the lifting of the ban of arms sales to China, and asked the EU to maintain the ban.
The European Parliament has reached a resolution stating that it hopes that China and Taiwan can reach a peaceful resolution to disputes through dialogue thereby taking into consideration the needs of the 23 million people of Taiwan. It has also passed resolutions calling on China to dismantle the missiles deployed along the southeast coast of China and gradually disarm.
The president further pointed out that the European Parliament, with consideration on the principle of medical care without borders and concern for Taiwan's medical well-being, has once and again supported Taiwan's bid to gain the observer status at the WHA. Even if that is not attainable in the short-term, he said that it is possible that the parliament may pass amendments to the International Health Regulations that would allow Taiwan to have observer status in the WHO, giving it a foothold in the world health body.
MP Belder thanked the president for his hospitality and said that, as a Hollander, he can say that Taiwan is always a "Ilha Formosa" in the minds of his and the people of Holland, and as a result he has a very special feeling for Taiwan. He said that when he received the honor of writing the highly important China report, it came to mind that he should take Taiwan's needs and the Taiwan perspective into consideration. MP Belder asked the president's opinion on how Taiwan should deal with China's passing of the Anti-separation Law, the cross-Strait relationship and the Taiwan's prospects.
The president said that last year marked the 400th anniversary of the friendly relationship between Taiwan and Holland. He said that hanging in his reception room is an old map painting by an artist from Holland depicting Taiwan horizontally. He suggested that Belder go to the "Maps in Taiwan" exhibit at the National Taiwan Museum since there is a lot of historical relics on display that are related to Holland.
The president said that the sanctioning of the use of non-peaceful and military means to solve the Taiwan Strait argument in China's passing Anti-separation Law has fomented immense opposition in the international community. This includes strong opposition expressed by the United States and Japan. The United States said that the move is of no help in the cross-Strait relationship and increases tensions. The president said that if the EU lifted the ban on arms sales to China at that time, it would be tantamount to endorsing the so-called Anti-separation Law, encouraging the undemocratic China to use unpeaceful means against the democratic Taiwan. The president was grateful for the EU for suspending the removal of the arms sale ban, praising it for making the right decision.
The president indicated that the international community took notice when on March 26 one million Taiwanese took to the streets expressing their will to "protect democracy, love peace and defend Taiwan." As a result Beijing tried to reduce pressure and retracted, welcoming opposition leaders Lien Chan and James Soong to visit China, causing the so-called "China fever."
But the results of the May 14 ad hoc National Assembly election, and China's opposition to Taiwan's entry into the WHO on May 15, which had caused the Taiwanese people to resent Beijing, have put an end to the so-called "China fever," with China gaining nothing from it and the two opposition party leaders winning no upper hand in the election.
The president stressed that the government's position is strong and clear and that cross-Strait differences must be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means and that under no circumstances weaponry or other warlike means would be used. The president said that the government will persist on national sovereignty and will not let anyone annex Taiwan and let it become China's other special administrative region, a second Hong Kong. The national sovereignty belongs to the 23 million people here, and only these people can make the final decision regarding any change relevant to Taiwan's future.
The president went on saying that the government will go on pursuing the normalization of cross-strait relations, but will persist on Taiwan identity to proceed to conciliation and dialogue. The president said we can learn from the European integration's successful experience that the will of each member country is fully respected and no violence or threat was used. All the procedure was conformed to democratic and peaceful principles, regardless of the size and the population of the country. Everyone is equal, this is the most important element of equality. The president thinks that in the foreseeable future, the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China will remain two separate countries, not belonging to each other.
The president also said that though Taiwan and the European Union do not have diplomatic ties, they share the same values in terms of democracy, freedom, peace and human rights. In Taiwan, we have democratic elections, a healthy party politics, a hundred percent nationalized armed forces and sufficient freedom of religion and freedom of speech. These are the essentials that China lacks of which is also the biggest difference between Taiwan and China.
The president hopes that the European Union could simulate the feeling of being threatened by more than 700 Chinese missiles, then Europeans can understand the feeling of the Taiwanese people. China is especially aggrandizing its armed forces during the recent years and their defense budget augments by two digits every year. They haven't given up the plan to use military force on Taiwan, they have clearly shown their intention about that by making the "Anti-separation Law" their internal law, which is a legal basis for invading Taiwan. This is a fact that is unimaginable in a democratic country. If the European Union really wants to lift the weapon sales embargo on China, it would then be encouraging China to invade Taiwan by force. It is believed that this is also unacceptable for European countries that used to support freedom, democracy and human rights since long ago. The president emphasized that universal values should not have double standards and shall not be sacrificed for economic interests.
The president further pointed out that Taiwan and the European Union are the best allies in their values, democracy, security and economy. Taiwan is an island of the world, not an isolated one. In fact, Taiwan and the European Union can both enter the Chinese market and build up a good cooperative relationship. The president also hopes that the European Union can become Taiwan's biggest trading partner after the United States, Japan and China. It is believed that both sides have many interests in common and have the opportunity and room to strengthen the relationship.
The president said that only through dialogue and negotiations could a new aspect be reached, and that this could be positive both for Taiwan's internal and cross-strait relations. The president said that the ad hoc National Assembly elections' goals were aimed at achieving constitutional reforms, including halving the parliament, one district two votes system and to lead Taiwan towards a more mature two party politics so that the parliament could be more realistic. These are helpful to strengthen and deepen Taiwan's democracy as well as to the cooperation between ruling and opposition parties. The president believes that only through persisting Taiwan's democracy and peace between the two straits can the island keep on developing its economy. And Taiwan's spirit generates from that of the Dutch, believing that Taiwan will succeed like Holland. The president also believes that Mr. Belder will have a clearer idea on Taiwan's political and economical infrastructure, and share the pride of Taiwan's progress with the Taiwanese people.