President Chen Shui-bian on February 15 met with a visiting delegation of German parliamentarians, expressing his warm welcome and gratitude to the group on behalf of the government and the 23 million residents of the ROC (Taiwan). The president also wished the visitors a happy Lunar New Year, adding that he hopes the delegation will enjoy the festive atmosphere of Taiwan during their stay here.
President Chen said that the unique aspect of this delegation is that it is made up entirely of women, which symbolizes the significant status of women in the German political arena. He noted that it is clear the admiration and respect that the German people have for female politicians, which is highlighted by the election of Angela Merkel as German's first female chancellor.
President Chen expressed his gratitude to the German Bundestag for its concern and support of Taiwan-related issues. He said he was pleased that the Bundestag on October 28, 2004 passed a bill that calls for three conditions to be met before the EU ends its arms embargo against China, namely that China must improve its human rights record, that contention in the Taiwan Straits must be resolved peacefully through dialogue, and that China must not sell weapons of mass destruction to a third country. President Chen said that not only has China failed to meet the third condition, but also it continues to commit flagrant human rights violations. He said China does not provide sufficient freedom of religious belief and many political prisoners have not been treated justly by the judicial system. He said infringements on human rights such as these are hard to imagine in democratic nations.
The president reiterated his hope that the cross-strait issue can be resolved peacefully through dialogue. Regrettably, however, authorities in Beijing to this day have yet to abandon their intention of using military force against Taiwan. In March 2005, China passed the Anti-separation Law to serve as a legal basis to adopt military force against Taiwan. President Chen said that when he took office in 2000, China had deployed 200 missiles along the southeastern Chinese coast. Today, however, the number has risen by nearly fivefold to at least 988 missiles.
President Chen said he is pleased with the continued growth in bilateral trade and cooperation between the two nations. Germany is Taiwan's largest European trading partner, while Taiwan is Germany's fourth largest trading partner in Asia. In 2005, bilateral trade grew 13.72% from the previous year to over US$11.75 billion. The president said he believes that substantial room exists for further growth. President Chen also noted the contributions to Taiwan made by German firms that have been active in major construction projects here. The president specifically cited the participation of German companies in the building of the mass rapid transit systems in Taipei and Kaohsiung, the Taiwan high-speed rail and the Taipei 101 building.
The delegation is led by Bundestag Member Rita Pawelski. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Ching-shan Hou and Director General of the German Institute Taipei Detlef Boldt accompanied the delegation to the Presidential Building in the morning to meet President Chen.