Taipei, March 20 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian met with visiting Philippine Secretary of Labor and Employment Patricia Santo Thomas at his office Thursday.
Chen lauded Santo Thomas' visit as a milestone in bilateral ties, which have progressed rapidly despite the absence of diplomatic ties between Taipei and Manila.
Santo Thomas visited Taiwan to renew a memorandum between the two countries on importing Philippine laborers into Taiwan.
Chen said the Philippine laborers working in Taiwan -- about 120,000 of them at one point in 1998 -- have contributed a great deal to the country's economic development.
Although their numbers have since declined to 69,000, they still play a vital role in the country's economic life, he said.
Chen noted that Taiwan is the Philippines' third-biggest source of tourists, its fourth-biggest trading partner and its fifth-biggest investor.
However, he expressed regret that the Philippines, which serves on the United Nations' General Committee, voted against a proposal to put Taiwan's bid for United Nations membership into the U.N. General Assembly's agenda last year, saying it hurt the feelings of the Taiwan people and damaged the bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Chen said Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is friendly toward Taiwan and that he hopes Santo Thomas will convey his personal respects to her.