President Chen Shui-bian attended today a celebration marking the 184th anniversary for the independence of Central American nations in Taipei, extending his best regard and sincere appreciation to the long-time support that the CentAm allies have rendered to Taiwan. The president also called on the allies to honor international justice and the world's community of democracies, continuing their firm support for the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Out of appreciation of friendship between ROC (Taiwan) and its Central American allies, President Chen affirmed the commitment of his government to continue with its multilateral cooperation projects to create a coprosperity for the Pacific rim. He stressed that Taiwan will claim its rights and fulfill its obligations as a member in the international community. The president also held firm belief that friendship between Taiwan and its Central American allies will stay firm forever.
The president's speech:
It's my honor to be here and to celebrate the 184th anniversary for the independence of Central American nations at the invitation of ambassadors of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras. I would like to offer my greatest gratitude from the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to each of you who are here to represent your governments and people.
The cementing of diplomatic relations can not only be achieved through government-to-government cooperation, but also can be done through the exchanges of people. One thing I feel proud of as the ROC (Taiwan) president over the past five years is that the distance between Taiwan and our Central and South American allies seems to have drawn closer.
I have always believed firmly that more opportunities for interactions between people should be given, in addition to formal diplomatic ways. It is through customs and practices of the people that we get to know the true Central America. Hosts of today's celebration — the people of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras — are the very Latin people who have worked hard and have always been optimistic. This is why their civilization and culture have filled with pluralism and abundances. And it came as no surprise that Taiwan has in the recent years been indulged in the so-called "LatAm fever." Through the wise leadership of your presidents and the hard work of you and your people, the friendship between Taiwan and the five Central American states will surely prevail.
I had made three visits to Central and South America in my first presidency, and had forged a profound friendship with leaders of a number of nations, exchanging views on matters of mutual concern. After sworn in as the 11th president of the ROC (Taiwan), I made another visit to the region last August. And Vice President Annette Lu has also been to Central America both last May and this past March, which shows that the entire ROC (Taiwan) government and I concern about our allies in the region. I believe that true friendship is like the coffee grown in Central America — it would be more and more fragrant over time.
At the end of this September, I will be leading a delegation to attend the "The Fifth Summit of the Heads of States and Governments of the Republic of China, Central America, and the Dominican Republic." And at the invitation of our Central American and Caribbean allies, I will also visit Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, St. Christopher and Nevis, and St. Vincent and Grenadines, meeting with leaders on issues regarding political and economic cooperation. This will be my fifth trip to Central America, where I would like to introduce a new "Jung Pang Project," a government program aimed at pursuing common prosperity with Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Central America.
Universal values such as seeking independent sovereignty, vying for freedom, democracy and human rights, along with the quest of creating mutual prosperity with others, have been the bedrocks for the ROC (Taiwan) and the Central American nations to cooperate and benefit each other.
With such values, the "Democratic Pacific Union" was founded this August in Taipei. We had the honor to have invited President Oscar Berger of Nicaragua, President Abel Pacheco de la Espriella of Costa Rica, speakers and vice speakers of some of the Central American parliaments, along with university presidents, to mark the founding ceremony. Also during the ceremony, I proposed four core concepts of "peaceful coexistence," "democratic deepening," "consultation and cooperation," and "renaissance of humanism," calling upon all our friends in the Pacific Rim to work hand-in-hand toward these goals to usher in a new era in the Pacific. This will be a common goal that our Central and South American allies, nations in the Pacific Rim and Taiwan would pursue, and will be the faith we have regarding the world's community of democracies.
The 60th General Assembly of the United Nations was opened on September 13, and this year we unveiled a new strategy of "presenting two proposals," in which we asked the assembly to recognize the fact that the 23 million people of Taiwan have their right to be represented in the U.N. We also requested the U.N. to play a more active role in maintaining cross-Strait peace. With this new project, Taiwan aims to demonstrate its determination in seeking world peace and stability, as well as security across the Taiwan Strait. And our cause has triggered comprehensive discussions in the international society.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my highest regard and sincere appreciation on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan) to each of you for your long, staunch support and friendship in our bid to join the U.N. and other international organizations. I hope that you will keep honoring the international justice, protecting the world's community of democracies, and continuing your firm support for the ROC (Taiwan).
Out of appreciation of friendship between the ROC (Taiwan) and its Central American allies, I confirm again the commitment that my government will continue with the multilateral cooperation projects, so we can create an environment for a sustained co-prosperity of the Pacific rim. We will also claim our rights and fulfill our obligations as a member in the international community. I believe that the friendship between Taiwan and our CentAm allies will stay firm forever as we continue our efforts in guarding the friendship.
At last, I would like to toast with each of you here and wish the presidents of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras good health and happiness, and your countries great success. May the friendship between the ROC and Latin America stay firm forever.