President Chen Shui-bian on July 31 met with St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and his wife. President Chen, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), expressed a warm welcome and appreciation to Prime Minister Gonsalves on his fifth visit to Taiwan as prime minister.
President Chen said this year marks the 26th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and that Taiwan cherishes the diplomatic alliance shared by the two nations. He said exchanges and cooperation between the two are quite strong, adding that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has frequently spoken on behalf of Taiwan in the international arena, advocating Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
The president also pointed out that the Taiwan-St. Vincent Friendship Bridge was opened to traffic in the first half of this year in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Other cooperation projects between the two countries are being carried out smoothly, he said. The president noted that 16 students from the Caribbean nation are presently studying here on scholarships provided by the Taiwan government. In August, another five or so students from St. Vincent and the Grenadines will come to Taiwan to engage in study or research, bringing the number of students from that nation studying on Taiwan to over 20. The president lauded the outstanding cooperation on the education front between the two countries.
Prime Minister Gonsalves mentioned the difficulties Taiwan recently faced in applying for entering the United Nations under the name "Taiwan." He reiterated his pledge that the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will fully support Taiwan.
President Chen furthermore said that UN Resolution 2758 in 1971 in fact did not address the issue of representation in the UN for the 23 million people of Taiwan, nor did it state that Taiwan is a part of the People's Republic China. The resolution did not even mention anything regarding China's position that it has so-called sovereignty over Taiwan. In light of this, Taiwan's stance on applying for UN membership under the name "Taiwan" is clear. In addition, the application deserves the support and attention of the global community, he said. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, however, has a different opinion. The president said Taiwan's application should be handled according to the UN Charter and procedural rules of the Security Council, and the application should be forwarded to the Security Council for discussion. President Chen expressed his hope that Prime Minister Gonsalves will continue to speak in support of Taiwan's application during the General Assembly in September.
Prime Minister Gonsalves indicated that he will continue to personally visit the UN and speak in favor of Taiwan's application as he has over the past several years.