President Ma Ying-jeou on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan) bestowed the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Mr. Stefan Niesiolowski, Deputy Speaker of the Republic of Poland’s Lower House of Parliament, on the afternoon of February 25 in recognition of his many years of efforts and contributions to the furthering of friendly relations between Taiwan and Poland.
Deputy Speaker Niesiolowski said that he is deeply honored to receive this Order from President Ma and that he realizes the important responsibility associated with it. While Taiwan and Poland are located far from each other and the two differ significantly in terms of culture, environment and traditions, both sides do share certain things in common. He specifically pointed to the warmth and hospitality of the people in both places, the respect of freedom and democracy, and the opposition to autocratic rule. Deputy Speaker Niesiolowski also commented that the experiences of Taiwan and Poland have been quite similar, and he specially expressed his admiration for Taiwan’s successful democratization. He added that Poland is facing serious challenges amid the global economic downturn. Nonetheless, he said that based on this trip here, he senses that Taiwan has not been overly impacted. He stressed that while each country is employing different methods in addressing economic problems, he is confident that the warmth and fortitude of the Taiwan people will enable the country to overcome the current challenges.
Shortly after he concluded his remarks, President Ma and Deputy Speaker Niesiolowski held discussions. The president said that Poland and Taiwan are not only geographically distant from each other, but also that at one time the two countries adopted extremely divergent political systems. After World War II, Poland became a communist country, and it recognized Communist China in 1949. As a result, Taiwan and Poland did not maintain contacts for a number of decades. It was only in the late 20th century that the solidarity movement emerged in Poland. This astonished the entire world, enabling everyone to realize the power of the Polish people. Thereafter, Poland then began holding elections, introduced a system of competitive political parties, and became a free and democratic nation. President Ma said the ROC (Taiwan) established a trade and economic office in Warsaw in 1992, followed three years later by Poland’s creation of the Warsaw Trade Office in Taipei. This has paved the way for close interaction between the two since that time. President Ma said that Poland’s Parliament is home to many good friends to Taiwan, and a parliamentary Taiwan friendship group has been created to promote relations between the two countries.
President Ma said he has worked aggressively to improve cross-strait relations since taking office, which has led to a reduction in tensions between the two sides. He added that the ROC (Taiwan) has adopted a philosophy of “flexible diplomacy,” which on the one hand demonstrates that the ROC will not engage in unnecessary contentiousness with mainland China, while on the other hand also reflects Taiwan’s hope that Beijing will adopt the same attitude toward us. While mainland China and the ROC (Taiwan) have differing opinions regarding the one China principle due to different viewpoints expressed in their respective constitutions, both sides, however, do acknowledge the one China principle, he said. As such, dealings between Poland and the ROC (Taiwan) do not violate this principle.
President Ma furthermore said the “flexible diplomacy” policy has been well received by countries throughout the world. He cited examples such as a significant improvement in relations between the European Union and the ROC (Taiwan), as well as England’s decision to provide tourists from Taiwan visa-free courtesies, enabling them to enter that nation for six months. The president said he is confident that other European nations would see an influx of tourists from Taiwan if they also adopt similar visa-free measures. President Ma expressed his desire to see more interaction with Poland in the areas of tourism, trade and education, so that the two sides might enjoy closer relations in the future.