President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of June 18 with a delegation of permanent representatives to the United Nations (UN) from allies of the ROC. The president thanked the members of the delegation for actively supporting the ROC's participation in international affairs and briefed them on the government's progress toward this goal.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Article 141 of the ROC Constitution provides that the foreign policy of the ROC shall respect treaties and the Charter of the United Nations in order to promote international cooperation, advance international justice and ensure world peace.
The president stated that the ROC was a founding member of the UN, and that whereas it lost its UN seat in 1971, the Charter of the UN still has the name "Republic of China" in it. Even though the ROC government is unable to participate in various UN activities, the ROC still is committed to upholding UN ideals, he said, adding that the ROC actively seeks to take part in UN work. For instance, the ROC's Minister of Health and Welfare has been invited by the World Health Organization to attend the World Health Assembly as an observer for six consecutive years dating back to 2009, he noted. The ROC delegation has spoken on a variety of issues during those events and has engaged in bilateral talks with many nations, yielding considerable results, the president remarked.
President Ma mentioned that six years ago when he took office his administration began pursuing a policy of "viable diplomacy." Apart from reducing conflict between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in the international arena, Taiwan has also made every effort to promote agricultural, medical, and clean energy cooperation projects that are further strengthening its relations with allied nations, he said. In addition, the president pointed out, the ROC has over 30 technical missions stationed around the world, working tirelessly to help developing countries achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The ROC, he mentioned, also provided disaster reconstruction assistance to Haiti and Japan after each suffered devastating earthquakes, and to the Philippines and Palau after these countries were battered by Typhoon Haiyan. The ROC, the president stated, is looking to fulfill its responsibility as a member of the global community in carrying out this work.
President Ma commented that the ROC joined the World Trade Organization in 2002, but as multilateral trade negotiations under the WTO have stalled, the ROC has been seeking to sign free trade agreements or economic cooperation agreements with its major trading partners. These agreements have been signed in order to create beneficial conditions for Taiwan's foreign trade, he said.
The president mentioned that the ROC's difficult diplomatic situation has prevented it from becoming a party to the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and other international conventions. Rather, it has only been able to dispatch non-government organizations to attend related meetings, he said. Nonetheless, the ROC still has set concrete goals for reducing carbon emissions, which indicates the government's determination to conserve energy and cut back on carbon emissions, he remarked.
President Ma stated that Taiwan has consistently played the role of peacemaker in East Asia, and he pointed to Taiwan's signing of a fisheries agreement with Japan in April of last year that effectively resolved a 40-year fisheries dispute between the two sides. In August of last year, moreover, the government adopted a firm stance and peaceful measures to resolve the controversy between Taiwan and the Philippines over the Guang Da Xing No. 28 fishing boat incident, in which a Philippine coast guard vessel shot at a Taiwanese fishing boat, damaging the boat and killing a fisherman, the president remarked. The two sides have also agreed on standards for future law enforcement actions. These actions, he said, highlight Taiwan's resolve to contribute to peace and stability in the East China Sea.
President Ma commented that the ROC Constitution has long emphasized the protection of human rights. He pointed out that after the ROC lost its UN seat in 1971, it was unable to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. However, after taking office in 2008 he immediately announced that efforts would be made to ratify the two human rights covenants as quickly as possible, and to pass an enforcement law to incorporate the two covenants into domestic law.
President Ma emphasized that despite the difficulties faced by the ROC in the international arena, it will continue to actively participate in international affairs and abide by UN ideals. He expressed hope that the visitors will continue to act at various UN venues in support of the ROC's quest for meaningful participation in international activities.
The delegation included St. Vincent and the Grenadines Permanent Representative to the UN Inga Rhonda King, Sao Tome and Principe Permanent Representative to the UN Carlos Filomeno Agostinho das Neves and Mrs. Neves, Dominican Republic Permanent Representative to the UN Francisco Cortorreal and Mrs. Cortorreal, and Burkina Faso Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Simplice Honore Guibila.