Meeting with overseas Taiwanese leaders from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos on September 7, President Chen Shui-bian said that what unites Taiwan's people together and enables Taiwan to gain a foothold in the world is the firm belief in democracy and freedom.
President Chen said Taiwan has neither desire nor capability to compete with China in conducting "money diplomacy."
"Our foreign relations rely on our beliefs in freedom, democracy and honest dealings," said President Chen. "This is a new approach for Taiwan's diplomacy."
President Chen said this new approach of Taiwan starts with multilateral cooperation to help its allies develop in a sustainable way and then extends this cooperation mode to other areas of the international community.
President Chen said the 1st Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit serves as a successful example of this new approach. After the summit meeting, seven countries signed the Palau Declaration and pledged to cooperate with each other in social, cultural and economic developments as well as infrastructure construction. The cooperation plans covered law enforcement training, digital government, tourism, economic partnership, healthcare, protection of natural resources, development of domestic and renewable energy, preservation of culture, and cooperation on agriculture and fishery .
Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Shyh-fang and Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission Minister Chang Fu-mei were also present at the meeting.