President Chen Shui-bian on the morning of March 31 met with American Enterprise Institute (AEI) President Dr. Christopher DeMuth at the presidential office. President Chen, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a warm welcome to Dr. DeMuth.
President Chen reiterated his appreciation and gratitude to Dr. DeMuth for his long support for Taiwan. He said that in February of this year, the AEI and Armitage International jointly established the Taiwan Policy Working Group, which has issued Taiwan policy reports in both Washington D.C. and Taipei. The president said the reports have been quite incisive and have attracted the attention of many sectors. They have also been responsible for triggering discussion of Taiwan-related affairs. Meanwhile, in August 2007, former United States Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton visited Taiwan and delivered a speech here. In September, the AEI held a video conference entitled "The United Nations and Taiwan Democracy: A Dialogue with President Chen Shui-bian." The president said that this brought a great deal of attention to the topic of Taiwan's efforts to participate in the United Nations.
President Chen added that the AEI each June holds its World Forum in Colorado. The organization invites Taiwan's foreign affairs minister as well as Taiwan's representative to the United States to attend the forum, providing an opportunity for both sides to exchange opinions and communicate. President Chen said that in September 2002, First Lady Wu Shu-jen had an opportunity to visit Washington D.C. and was invited by the AEI to deliver a public speech. The president said that in the past when he served as a lawmaker and mayor of Taipei, he had the opportunity to visit the AEI. He indicated his hope to visit the institution again after he leaves office, expressing his desire to exchange opinions with the leaders of the organization.
Dr. DeMuth expressed his appreciation to President Chen for providing assistance and coordination over the past eight years. He said the AEI was honored to have held the video conference last year and to have been able to invite First Lady Wu to deliver a speech in 2002. He said these events have helped to build a strong bond between the organization and Taiwan. He added that communication and cooperation with officials at the ministerial level has helped the AEI to understand political, security and economic developments on Taiwan, further enabling the AEI to better promote freedom and democracy in Asia.
Dr. DeMuth was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Elizabeth Y.F. Chu. Also in attendance was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Lin Chia-lung.