President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of November 28 at the Presidential Office met with International Criminal Court Judge and Appeals Chamber President Sang-Hyun Song and Mrs. Song. President Ma extended a warm welcome to the guests on behalf of the government.
President Ma commented that Judge Song has an eminent academic background. He previously studied in the United States and then taught at New York University and Harvard University. President Ma said that coincidentally these are the two schools where he studied in the United States. The president said that in the past, international criminal cases were handled and heard by a specific nation's judiciary. The International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, had generally not been involved in hearing these types of cases. After the establishment of the International Criminal Court, however, a criminal jurisdiction and hearing system has been gradually established. In addition to symbolizing a major breakthrough in the development of international criminal law, this marks an important milestone in international law and international criminal law. Also, only a few of the justices in the International Criminal Court are Asians, he said. President Ma said he is pleased that Judge Song is a justice at the court and that he would like to once again express a welcome on behalf of the government to Judge Song.
President Ma said that this visit to Taiwan by Judge Song carries enormous significance for Taiwan. Since the ROC (Taiwan) lost its seat in the United Nations in 1971, it has also lost the opportunity to take part in many international activities, which the president said was regrettable. This is especially the case given that Taiwan often ranks as either the 15th or 16th in the world in international trade. Taiwan has made huge investments in Southeast Asia and is responsible for the largest world share of manufacturing for 15 information communications products. Nonetheless, it has long been excluded from international organizations, he said. President Ma said he feels this is very unfair to Taiwan. As such, he believes that Judge Song's visit to Taiwan bears a high degree of importance, especially for persons concerned about space for Taiwan in the international community.
Judge Song expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He said having the opportunity to meet President Ma is a huge honor for him. He added that in the future he will do his utmost to promote interaction and understanding between the international legal community and its counterpart in Taiwan.
Judge Song was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Ching-shan Hou to meet with President Ma.