President Chen Shui-bian , on this "Hand-in-hand Moving toward Co-prosperity" trip, arrived in Miami, Florida, on September 21 for a one-day transit stop.
President Chen's itinerary in the U.S. was adjusted in the wake of Hurricane Rita that lashed Florida. The president spent most of his time today in the hotel where he received local guests. He attended a welcome party hosted by senators of south Florida and government chiefs of Miami-Dade County, as well as a dinner party by the Taiwanese expatriates in Miami.
Senators of south Florida and government chiefs of Miami-Dade County hosted a luncheon to welcome President Chen and his delegation. On behalf of their own constituencies, those congressional and county representatives presented President Chen with a resolution of welcome as a token of their admiration. The senators also presented to the Taiwanese president the key of the Miami-Dade County and declared September 21 and 22 as the "Chen Shui-bian's day."
The president's speech at the luncheon:
This is my first time to Miami in the capacity of the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and it's been meaningful to me. I feel the friendship from you, especially when I saw all these representatives of your government and Congress of south Florida. And first of all, I want to give my best regard to all of you on behalf of the ROC government and Taiwan's 23 million people.
Despite the lack of formal diplomacy, democracy, trade and economy, and security have become the "four pillars" of the U.S.-Taiwan relations. The two governments have also formed an alliance of the core values of democracy, freedom, and human rights, as well as the community of democracies.
Pragmatic relations between the U.S. and Taiwan have not been affected on the solid foundation of Taiwan Relations Act. Florida has been a sister state of Taiwan since 1992, and Taiwan's largest Taipei County is a sister of the Miami-Dade County. I want to thank especially Chairman Su Tseng-chang of our ruling Democratic Progressive Party -- who had been a Taiwan Provincial Assembly member, Taipei County chief and later the presidential secretary-general -- for these achievements.
Apart from that, Kaohsiung — the biggest port city in Taiwan — is also a sister city of Miami. Former Kaohsiung Mayor Mr. Frank Hsieh, who started his political career as a Taipei city councilor, is now the premier of Taiwan. And I, too, began my career as a Taipei city councilor, before serving as the mayor of Taipei city. And in 1996, I came to Miami to attend a meeting of the International Union of Local Authorities. After that, I became the president of the ROC.
Taiwan is the ninth largest trading partner of the Unites states and the third largest Asian trading partner of south Florida. And the room for this economic partnership to grow is still tremendous. To my knowledge, driver's license obtained in Taiwan and Florida can be recognized in either places, so people only need to take a written test to get their licenses recognized. This is perhaps the only state in the U.S. that has such an agreement with Taiwan, and it exemplifies the special friendship between Florida and Taiwan.
Florida suffered from four hurricanes just last year alone. I've learned that there were devastations all across the state, and our government had given donations at the earliest time possible, which symbolized our firm friendship for the people here. This early September, Hurricane Katrina swept over south Florida, as well as several states along the Mexican Gulf. The storm had caused havoc in New Orleans, Louisiana, in particular with strong winds and floods that displaced people. And again, the government of Taiwan donated US$2 million as our relief effort. We hope that the American people know for sure that we concern about them.
I want to thank U.S. President George Bush for his staunch support for our bid in joining the World Health Organization when Taiwan was attacked by SARS in 2003. Taiwan's plight because of the SARS epidemic has flawed the WHO's efforts in disease prevention. A friend in need is a friend indeed. The helping hand that the U.S. and Taiwan have given each other are the evidences of this friendship. It has not been affected by distances, nor will it be affected by the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
Recently, the U.S. has reached free trade agreements with five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. Under the framework of these FTAs, the countries are allowed to ship their products to the U.S. duty-free or with low tariffs. As Taiwan's trade relations, with lots of investments, with these countries, are remarkable, the business ties between Taiwan and Florida are expected to grow with the implementation of these agreements. And I am already looking forward to it.
Taiwan is the world's 15th largest trading nation and the 17th largest economy in the world. It took the fourth place in the world in terms of Growth Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum in 2004, and ranked number one in Asia for three consecutive years. Taiwan produces most of the IT products such as laptops, motherboards, and LCD monitors in the world. Yet our political and economic accomplishment on the world stage has not been compatible with our status in the international community. Taiwan is not a member in either the United Nations or the WHO. Even when we want to become a member of even a very ordinary international organization, we are blocked for political reasons.
As everyone knows, loopholes in international cooperation cannot be tolerated. The 23 million people in Taiwan are willing to and have the ability to contribute to the international society. To support Taiwan's cause in participating in the international affairs is to confirm the values of freedom and democracy. Taiwan's getting involved in more international organizations not only will strengthen the community of democracies, but becomes a positive asset for the peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
I hope that each of you, the friends of Taiwan, continue to stand by "democratic, free and human rights Taiwan."