President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of August 24 attended the opening ceremony of the 2011 World Vision International Asia Forum, where he spoke in English on the topic of "The ROC’s New Role in the International Community." In his speech, he reiterated his intention to build up Taiwan as a peacemaker, a provider of humanitarian aid, a promoter of cultural ties, a creator of new technologies and business opportunities, and a standard-bearer of Chinese culture.
The president commented that Taiwan is burdened with the legacies of the Cold War, and that both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been in a state of confrontation for more than a half-century, bedeviled by a “zero-sum game” mindset. The enduring confrontation between the two caused cut-throat diplomatic competition. The two sides later engaged in the practice of “check-book diplomacy,” which was counterproductive as it created opportunities for corruption and graft, and no one benefitted from the diplomatic strife. More seriously, the situation damaged the interests of our country. During the previous administration, said the president, the number of the ROC's diplomatic allies fell by six, so it is clear that the cross-strait rivalry of years past seriously tarnished Taiwan's international image, wasted the taxpayers' money, and harmed our people's dignity.
President Ma stressed that after coming to office in May 2008 he introduced the principle of viable diplomacy, because only a pragmatic approach can stabilize cross-strait relations while safeguarding our national security and raising our international standing. In recent years, the government has sought cross-strait conciliation by putting forward the "three no's" – no unification during his term in office, no pursuit of de jure independence, and no use of force to resolve differences. In addition, we have stepped up our efforts to build mutual trust, shelve disputes, build up common ground while accepting our differences, and forge a win-win situation. After several years of hard work, said the president, our efforts have borne fruit in many dimensions: our economy is flourishing, national security has been enhanced, people-to-people contacts are growing, and even scam operations are declining. And in particular, the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) represents a key step toward more win-win solutions.
President Ma remarked that viable diplomacy has enabled the two sides to end their constant bickering, and Taiwan's breathing room on the international stage has actually been expanded, with the result that we now have more opportunities for meaningful participation in specialized international agencies and their activities. In order to provide other countries with substantive assistance, the government has adopted three principles to guide its foreign aid policy: "our goals must be proper," "our procedures must be lawful," and "our implementation must be effective." Preliminary accomplishments have been achieved, said the president, including the Light for Africa project in Burkina Faso and the 360 Project in Nauru.
President Ma further indicated that by engaging in long-term cooperation with NGOs, the ROC government has been able to help the victims of natural disasters in many places around the globe. Following the major earthquake in Haiti, for example, the president's wife and daughter traveled to Haiti to show concern for children there, and Taiwan dispatched emergency rescue teams, sent generous donations, and helped with reconstruction, thus visibly demonstrating the compassion of the people of Taiwan toward people wherever they may be.
President Ma emphasized that the government will continue working to build up Taiwan as a peacemaker, a provider of humanitarian aid, a promoter of cultural ties, a creator of new technologies and business opportunities, and a standard-bearer of Chinese culture, so that others will come to understand that Taiwan's existence is a boon to the world, not a burden.
Following President Ma's speech, Nobuhiko Katayama, National Director of World Vision Japan, solicited the president's thoughts on models for NGO-government cooperation. The president responded that the Typhoon Morakot post-disaster reconstruction work has been an excellent example of successful cooperation between NGOs and the government. In order to build permanent residences for disaster victims, the government has provided land while NGOs have taken charge of getting the homes built. By taking this approach, each side has been able to contribute by doing what it does best. A follow-up question was posed by Utomo Josodirdjo, Chairman of World Vision Indonesia, who asked about agricultural cooperation between Taiwan and Indonesia. President Ma commented that in addition to agricultural technology, cooperation between the two sides is now branching out into other areas, such as student scholarships to develop the professional skills needed for national development. The president added that he hopes to see opportunities for even more bilateral cooperation in the future.