President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of February 14 with the permanent representatives to the United Nations (UN) from the Dominican Republic, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and The Gambia. The president expressed his appreciation to the visitors for the longstanding assistance they have provided the ROC in the UN system.
The president commented that even though the ROC lost its representation at the UN in 1971, it has always sought to uphold the body's tenets. The ROC Constitution, he stated, has specifically included language that the ROC respects the UN Charter. President Ma furthermore noted that the ROC resumed efforts to participate in the UN and related organizations in 1993. Presently, the ROC has the opportunity to participate in activities of the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization. However, we are still unable to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The president, however, specially expressed his gratitude to the guests for their work and assistance in enabling the ROC to achieve its objectives in the aforementioned organizations.
President Ma mentioned that the ROC maintains diplomatic relations with only 23 nations, but it has developed substantive relations with over 120 countries. A total of 126 jurisdictions provide visa-free courtesies or landing visas to Taiwanese citizens. Consequently, the government and people of the ROC attach great importance to the status of the ROC in the world community. The ROC hopes to play the role of 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, he explained.
The president furthermore stated that rescue, relief, and aid groups from Taiwan have been among the first to extend a helping hand in countries where various disasters have occurred in recent years, from the earthquakes in New Zealand and Haiti, to the multiple disaster in northeastern Japan. ROC citizens are still on the ground in Haiti helping to build permanent dwellings, providing assistance to orphans, carrying out public health work, and providing vocational training. In addition, Taiwan was the world's biggest donor to Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami there. Relations between Taiwan and Japan are extremely friendly, and are the closest they have been in 40 years.
President Ma stressed that since taking office in May 2008 he has sought to improve relations with mainland China. To date, the two sides have signed 16 agreements, which have created greater opportunities for the people of Taiwan and mainland China to interact. This has helped to bring peace and prosperity to the Taiwan Strait, and is a development that has been widely applauded throughout the world. The president stated that we will continue to move toward this goal in the future so that cross-strait relations and our relations with the rest of the world can move forward in tandem. At the same time, the ROC seeks to continue to develop even closer cooperative relationships with the three countries represented by the guests today, he said, adding that we are pleased to share our developmental experience with others.
Susan Waffa-Ogoo, Camillo Gonsalves, and Héctor Virgilio Alcántara, the permanent representatives to the UN from The Gambia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Dominican Republic, respectively, were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ssu-Tsun Shen (沈斯淳) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu (劉志攻).