President Chen Shui-bian on September 8 met with Republic of Malawi President Bingu Wa Mutharika at the Presidential Office and expressed a warm welcome and gratitude to the guest on behalf of the government and 23 million people of the ROC (Taiwan).
President Chen first expressed his appreciation to President Mutharika for coming to Taiwan to attend the First Taiwan-African Heads of State Summit, the 2007 Taiwan-Africa Progressive Partnership Forum as well as the 2007 IWAS World Wheelchair and Amputee Games. He said that the friendship exhibited by President Mutharika is appreciated by the 23 million people of Taiwan.
President Chen once again expressed his condolences to President Mutharika and the people of Malawi on the passing of Mrs. Mutharika on May 28. He said he hopes the people of Malawi will turn their grief into power to carry out development and progress in their nation. The president said that under President Mutharika's outstanding leadership, Malawi's economy over the past three years has posted impressive growth of 8.5%. The problem long facing Malawi of a shortage of grains has been successfully resolved due to fertilizer subsidy policies initiated by the government. President Chen congratulated his counterpart on the achievements.
President Chen said that last year marked the 40th anniversary of the founding of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. Over the past four-plus decades, the diplomatic alliance between the two has remained strong and cooperative projects have continued to be carried out smoothly. The government and people of Malawi have continuously provided staunch support to Taiwan in its efforts to join the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN). Not only has Malawi spoken on behalf of Taiwan, but it has also aired its stance at the World Health Assembly and taken the lead in signing its name to a resolution to allow Taiwan to enter the UN under the name "Taiwan." President Mutharika also plans on personally making a trip to New York City next month to attend the UN General Assembly and express his support for the rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan. President Chen said he hopes the Malawi government and people will continue to provide Taiwan with their support and encouragement.
President Mutharika thanked President Chen for his invitation to attend the summit and for the Taiwan government's many years of support and assistance to his country. He said he is confident the First Taiwan-African Heads of State Summit will mark a new page in friendship between Taiwan and African nations. Interaction and cooperation among smaller countries is especially important in the age of globalization, he said. President Mutharika said he expects relations between the ROC (Taiwan) and Malawi to continue to strengthen in the future based on their existing foundation. He added that he hopes cooperation in a variety of other areas will lead to mutual benefit for both sides.