President Chen Shui-bian on the morning of February 21 met with former United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General Kim Hak-Su and Mrs. Kim at the Presidential Office. President Chen, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a warm welcome and appreciation to Mr. Kim for making the visit to Taiwan.
The president said former Under-Secretary-General Kim is an internationally renowned economist and served at the United Nations for many years, heading up the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). In his post as executive secretary of the ESCAP, Mr. Kim made many contributions to carrying out the work of the agency.
In speaking of bilateral relations between Taiwan and South Korea, President Chen said South Korea is Taiwan's fourth largest trading partner, fourth largest source of imports and fifth largest export market. In addition, Taiwan's trade deficit with South Korea is the second largest of all of its trading partners. The president noted that after ending formal diplomatic relations for 15 years, in June of last year, the two countries resumed trade and economic consultations. In June of this year, a second consultative conference will be held. The president said that while Taiwan is small in size, the two countries in 2006 chalked up trade of US$22.15 billion. In the first 11 months of last year, bilateral trade stood at US$20.85 billion. In 2006, South Korea posted a trade surplus with Taiwan of US$7.845 billion. The president said that the two countries should work to sign a free trade agreement or a similar arrangement out of mutual interest and benefit.
Former Under-Secretary-General Kim said that he made his first visit to Taiwan in 1965 and has always looked upon Taiwan as a close and old friend. He said he is making this visit to Taiwan in his capacity as an economist and a former official of the UN. He said that prior to entering the Presidential Building here, he noticed two large placards hung in front of the building calling for Taiwan's entry into the UN. Former Under-Secretary-General Kim suggested Taiwan make even more contributions to world peace. He said he believes that this will help Taiwan increase its visibility in the international arena, adding that Taiwan's economic development and achievements over the past 40 years are impressive.
As for the topic of Taiwan entering the UN, President Chen said that of the world's 192 countries, 19 nations already recognize Kosovo as an independent nation. Kosovo's path to enter the UN, he said, will be a long one, especially since permanent members of the Security Council, such as Russia, are likely to veto any proposal by Kosovo to enter the world body. President Chen said, however, that this does not diminish the fact that Kosovo is already a sovereign nation. He pointed to Taiwan, saying that 23 nations formally recognize Taiwan and have established diplomatic relations with it. Nonetheless, Taiwan is still unable to become a member of the UN. This does not affect the reality that Taiwan is a sovereign nation, he said.