President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of June 19 with a delegation of four permanent representatives to the United Nations (UN) from four ROC allies. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, welcomed the group to Taiwan and explained the achievements of the ROC in its efforts to promote peace in the region.
In remarks, the president stated that Section 2 of Chapter XIII of the ROC Constitution focuses on foreign policy. Article 141 states: "The foreign policy of the Republic of China shall … respect treaties and the Charter of the United Nations." President Ma said that it is quite rare for such a statement to be included in a constitution, but the ROC Constitution was formulated just two years after the founding of the UN, thus the inclusion. Consequently, the ROC was required to respect the positions and resolutions of the UN when it was a member of the UN, and must still do so even now that it has lost its representation in the body, he commented.
The president pointed out that the UN General Assembly in October 1971 passed Resolution 2758, which stripped the ROC of its representation in the UN. It was not until 2009, when the minister of the Executive Yuan's Department of Health attended the World Health Assembly, that the ROC returned to the UN system, he said. While the ROC is still unable to directly participate in UN activities, many friends and allies of the ROC regularly speak on behalf of the ROC at UN conferences and meetings. The people of the ROC deeply appreciate this, he noted.
President Ma remarked that the ROC is striving to participate in activities associated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In particular, he said, 14 international aviation routes pass through Taiwan's airspace, and each year Taiwan's air traffic controllers provide 1.3 million information service messages to aircraft flying through the "Taipei Flight Information Region." From the standpoint of aviation safety, Taiwan undoubtedly plays an important role in international aviation, but is still unable to take part in ICAO meetings. This causes a delay in the delivery of information to Taiwan, which is not conducive to aviation safety. President Ma expressed hope that Taiwan can join the organization as quickly as possible so that it can promptly acquire aviation data. This, he said, would enable it to effectively serve in its role as a regional flight information region.
The president mentioned that the ROC is a peace-loving nation. Over the past year, he said, tensions have risen in the East China Sea due to sovereignty disputes associated with the Diaoyutai Islets. In response, he unveiled the East China Sea Peace Initiative in August of last year, calling on all parties involved to reduce tensions in the area through dialogue and reconciliation, and to use peaceful measures to resolve international disputes. President Ma stated that the ROC, with concepts advocated in the initiative in mind, engaged in numerous rounds of negotiations with Japan and finally in April of this year signed a fisheries agreement with its neighbor to the north. With the promulgation of this agreement, both sides can have their fishermen operate in waters twice the size of Taiwan and will not be bound by the laws of the other, he said. This means that Taiwanese fishermen can operate without restrictions in traditional fishing grounds that they have used for over 100 years, the president stated.
President Ma opined that in addition to advocating the resolution of controversies through peaceful means, the East China Sea Peace Initiative can reduce tensions in the East China Sea, and thus can provide an excellent model for handling similar situations. Many regions and international organizations have noted the easing of tensions in the region, he said, adding that the ROC will continue to take this approach in the future.
President Ma also mentioned that on May 9 a Taiwanese fishing boat was sprayed with automatic fire from a Philippine government vessel in seas south of Taiwan. This action caused the fishing boat to lose power and resulted in the unfortunate death of one Taiwanese fisherman. The incident has caused outrage here, he said, adding that the public feels their personal safety is threatened. Consequently, the ROC immediately demanded that the Philippines offer a formal apology, provide compensation for the losses, promptly and thoroughly investigate the incident and severely punish those responsible for the killing, and initiate fishery negotiations between the two countries as soon as possible. The government here urged the Philippines to respond positively. In addition, in order to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident, the two countries are currently holding talks. If these discussions proceed smoothly, the incident will be brought to a timely conclusion, the president commented. Otherwise, this will not be conducive to peace and security in the South China Sea, and it will impact bilateral relations, he stated.
President Ma emphasized that the public was deeply angered by the attack upon the Guang Da Xing No. 28 fishing boat, and the government has maintained a resolute and rational stance, he stated. As a peace-loving nation, the president noted, the ROC desires to resolve controversies in a peaceful manner. Moreover, he stated, since taking office in 2008, he and his administration have worked actively to improve the relationship between Taiwan and mainland China in a bid to create peace and prosperity. These efforts have already yielded considerable achievements, he added.
The president furthermore stated that it would not be easy for the ROC to change its present situation in the international community in a significant way. The government, however, has emphasized that the ROC is a peace-loving nation and acts in a rational manner. This stance has directly led to an increasing number of countries and areas providing visa-free courtesies or landing visas to ROC nationals. The number of such countries and areas now stands at 133, up from 54 when he took office, he said, which shows that the ROC's efforts have been positively received by the international community. President Ma again expressed his appreciation to the visitors for supporting meaningful participation for the ROC in UN venues. In addition, he also expressed hope that the ROC's relations with these four countries will continue to strengthen, thereby increasing the opportunity for the ROC's participation in the international community.
The delegation of four permanent representatives to the UN included Ambassador Lois Michele Young from Belize, Ambassador Aunese Makoi Simati and Mrs. Simati from Tuvalu, Ambassador Carlos Enrique Garcia Gonzalez from El Salvador, and Ambassador Jose Blanco Conde from the Dominican Republic. The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Yea-Ping Shih (史亞平) to meet with President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添) and National Security Council Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊).