On December 7th, President Chen Shui-bian met with and expressed welcome to European Parliament Member Bastiaan Belder, who is also the rapporteur of the "Report on EU-China Relations". The President asked Mr. Belder to convey to his colleagues in the EU Parliament the respect and appreciation of the government and people of Taiwan for their longstanding support of this country.
In the reception, President Chen vividly recalled the meeting with Mr. Belder at the Presidential Office during his first visit to Taiwan in May 2005. Commenting on the "Report on EU-China Relations", the President said he could not agree more with the main arguments in the report. The report, passed by the EU Parliament this past September, opposes EU's resolution on lifting its arms embargo against China, firmly supports Taiwan's participation in the WHO and other international organizations, and advocates peaceful resolution for the differences and disputes across the Taiwan Strait.
President Chen emphasized that the 23 million people of Taiwan should not be isolated, nor should their human rights be ignored, as they share the same universal values with the rest of the world. He called for respect for the human rights of the Taiwan people as a whole and Taiwan's admission to the international community, based on the principles of universality of membership proclaimed in the UN Charter and of "health care without borders".
With regard to the cross-strait issue, President Chen said the differences between the two sides, especially the political ones, should be resolved peacefully through government-to-government dialogue rather than resorting to forces or other non-peaceful means. He also took the opportunity to thank the EU Parliament for passing several important resolutions concerning Taiwan's security. In the resolutions, the EU Parliament calls peaceful dialogue to resolve the disputes between the two sides of the Strait and respect for the free will of Taiwan's 23 million people. The Parliament also urges China to withdraw all of the missiles deployed along its southeastern coast targeted at Taiwan.
President Chen further stated that he would be pleased to see a China that rises with the awareness of democracy and peace, but not with military hegemony.