President Chen Shui-bian on March 13 met with John Hamre, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank. On behalf of the ROC (Taiwan) government and the 23 million residents of Taiwan, President Chen expressed a warm welcome and gratitude to Mr. Hamre for his long-term attention to Taiwan-related developments.
President Chen said that March 14 will mark the two year anniversary of the passage of the Anti-separation Law by China's National People's Congress. He said that the law is a flagrant attempt to justify the use of violence and non-peaceful means against Taiwan, and highlights China's bellicose and hegemonic nature. The law poses the greatest threat to the democratic community in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
President Chen urged that as long as China's human rights record has not improved and so long as China refuses to renounce its threat of the use of force against Taiwan, all countries, including those in the European Union, should continue to maintain an arms embargo against China.
Secondly, President Chen called for joint management of peace, security and stability in the Taiwan Strait by Taiwan, the United States and China, while opposing U.S.-China management of Taiwan.
Thirdly, President Chen said that China should learn from Taiwan's policy of developing a neutral military. He said China's People's Liberation Army should serve as China's national army rather than serving the Communist Party of China.
Fourth, China should carry out fair and open democratic elections, implement fair competition among political parties, and recognize and give opposition parties a fair chance to become the ruling party, the president said. He added that China should learn from Taiwan and let the people of China directly elect their own leader and parliamentarians.
President Chen also expounded upon the "four imperatives and one non-issue" that he recently mentioned, saying that he made the original statement in consideration of the feelings of the 23 million people of Taiwan. He said he made the announcement of the "four imperatives and one non-issue" in light of the following: First, in his 2000 Presidential inaugural address, he stressed that so long as China did not resort to military force against Taiwan, he guaranteed he would abide by the "Four No's plus One." Secondly, the 23 million people of Taiwan have been deprived of their human rights, including the right to participate in the United Nations and the World Health Organization, he said. President Chen stressed that not only has China not renounced its threat of military force against Taiwan, but it intends to use forceful means to resolve the Taiwan issue. He said China has used every means imaginable to marginalize and localize Taiwan. As the national leader of Taiwan, he set forth the "four imperatives and one non-issue" to maintain an awareness for Taiwan, hoping to sketch a possible blueprint that takes into consideration Taiwan's position and development.