President Chen Shui-bian on the morning of May 7 presented the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to Mr. Torkel Patterson, the former Senior Director of Asian Affairs under the United States National Security Council. The honor, bestowed on Mr. Patterson on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), is in recognition of Mr. Patterson having spoken on behalf of Taiwan many times while in office. He also made outstanding contributions in helping to better the ROC military's defense and security capabilities.
In remarks during the ceremony, Mr. Patterson expressed his gratitude to President Chen for presenting him this honor. He also thanked the friends who appeared for the morning ceremony. Mr. Patterson expressed his admiration and praise for the freedom and liberalization exhibited on Taiwan. He said that the people of Taiwan not only have the freedom of religious belief, but also have the freedom of speech. Taiwan's press also enjoys freedom of expression. In addition, he said he has a lasting impression of Taiwan's prowess in the high tech field, as well as its advancements in transportation infrastructure and environmental protection.
Mr. Patterson also said that President Chen for many years has strived to remind the people of the world the identity of the people of Taiwan. Mr. Patterson said that he has done his utmost to remind policymakers of Taiwan's strategic importance. He also pledged to continue to speak on behalf of Taiwan in the future and expressed his hopes that Taiwan is able to secure the political and economic position it deserves in the international community. He furthermore said he hopes Taiwan has the complete ability to defend itself.
President Chen and Mr. Patterson held talks after the conclusion of the ceremony. President Chen first thanked Mr. Patterson for all he has done over the years in improving friendship between the two countries. The president said Mr. Patterson has visited Taiwan many times, exhibiting his fondness and staunch support for Taiwan.
President Chen furthermore said that US President George W. Bush took office in January 2001 and Mr. Patterson, who was Senior Director of Asian Affairs under the National Security Council, visited Taiwan shortly thereafter, expressing that President Bush had given the nod for three major arms sales deals to Taiwan. He said that the decision to approve the projects was not an easy one given the heavy pressure exerted by China against the deals. However, the decision also gave the people of Taiwan even more confidence to pursue peaceful dialogue with China on the precondition of national security.
The president said that the three major arms deals have faced challenges in being approved on Taiwan. Administrative agencies examined the deals for over three years and it was only during his second term as president that the bills were forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for screening. It took another three-plus years before lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties supported the deals. Ultimately, the president said, he is pleased to report that progress is being made on the deals. In addition, the president said that he has worked to overcome all sorts of difficulties in order that Taiwan's defense budget can be increased to 3% of GPD. He said that this demonstrates Taiwan's determination to be able to defend itself and to improve its defensive abilities.
President Chen also expressed his gratitude to Mr. Patterson for long supporting the signing of a free trade agreement between Taiwan and the United States. He said that he hopes that progress can be made in this regard after the new president takes office here.