President Chen Shui-bian said that the sustainable development of Taiwan's democracy and the pursuit of peace through dialogues are the two major prospects of Taiwan's future.
The president said that the "constitutional reforms" will further deepen Taiwan's democracy. He added that, following the referendum in 2004 and the ceasing of the National Unification Council and its Guidelines in 2006, the "constitutional reforms" in the near future is aimed to formulate a long-standing constitutional system for Taiwan.
Regarding Taiwan's pursuit of peace, the president calls for dialogues both on the international and the cross-strait levels. On the international level, the president said, Taiwan will strictly adhere to the universal values of freedom, democracy, and human rights. And on the cross-strait level, the president regarded equality as the bottom line for any cross-strait talks. "Without government-to-government dialogues, the disputes over the Taiwan Strait cannot be finally solved," he emphasized.
The president made the above statement when meeting with Taiwan's reporters in Costa Rica on May 9 (Taipei local time) after attending President Oscar Arias' inauguration. Before he concluded the meeting, the president said that his visit to Latin America this time concerned nothing but Taiwan's national interests, particularly its diplomacy and dignity.