On the morning of November 24, President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation from the International Young Democrat Union (IYDU) that had come to Taiwan to monitor the polls during the "9 in 1" elections scheduled for November 29. The president welcomed the delegation to Taiwan and expressed hope that after returning home they would help more people to understand the state of democracy in the ROC.
In remarks, President Ma stated that the ROC was founded in 1912 and was the first democratic republic in Asia. It was only after the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan, however, that a constitutional democracy was implemented completely here, he said. The president noted that our many years of experience show that democracy from the West can take root and thrive in an ethnic Chinese society.
President Ma stated that the IYDU is the youth branch of the International Democrat Union (IDU), a global alliance founded in 1983 that includes over 70 like-minded political parties from 56 democratic nations. The Kuomintang (KMT) joined the IDU in 1994, the president remarked, adding that over the decades the ROC has faced a number of diplomatic challenges, but the government continues to maintain close contact with political parties throughout the world via the IDU platform. This, he commented, has enabled the political parties of the ROC to expand their international contact.
President Ma mentioned that in 1984, as deputy secretary-general of the KMT, he was responsible for the party's international affairs, and maintained close contact with the IDU and other organizations. In 1985 and 1987 he attended the IDU Party Leaders Meeting in Washington, DC and Berlin, respectively, and had the opportunity to meet former US President George H. W. Bush, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and former French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac.
President Ma stated that in recent years Taiwan's democratic achievements have been recognized by the international community. For instance, he said, Freedom House, a US non-government organization, in its annual Freedom of the Press report, has rated Taiwan as enjoying press freedom and said that "Taiwan's media environment is one of the freest in Asia."
President Ma further stated that six years ago after taking office he began striving to improve cross-strait relations and promote more interaction. He pointed out that large numbers of mainland Chinese tourists have visited Taiwan in recent years and that some of the most popular destinations for them are places where campaign activities are held, since election activities in mainland China are not so vibrant as in Taiwan.
The president also mentioned that the KMT lost power here in 2000 but regained it in 2008. President Ma said that when he won the presidential election, former US President George W. Bush sent him a message of congratulations and called Taiwan "a beacon of democracy to Asia and the world." This, he remarked, shows that the ROC's democratic achievements are recognized in the international community.
President Ma also stressed that after taking office in 2008 he immediately began promoting a "viable diplomacy" policy to improve Taiwan's foreign relations. This initiative, he said, has already yielded substantive achievements. For instance, in 2009 Taiwan participated in the World Health Assembly after an absence of 38 years, while in 2013 it attended the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization after a 42-year hiatus. In fact, he noted, it is "easy and not remarkable" for other nations to take part in international organizations. Taiwan, however, often has to spend five or 10 years to obtain the right to participate in international organizations.
President Ma explained to the visitors that the ROC has diplomatic relations with only 22 nations, but 140 jurisdictions provide ROC nationals with visa-free or visa-on-arrival treatment, which show that the ROC has an extremely unusual relationship with the international community. The president added that this highlights the fact that it is very important for the ROC to maintain relationships with like-minded parties that are members of the IDU. In the future, the ROC will continue to promote democracy, he remarked, enabling the world to "see, hear, and have contact with" the ROC.
Lastly, the president offered his best wishes to the delegation on its mission here, and suggested that the visitors make stops at the National Palace Museum and night markets throughout Taiwan to get a better feel for Chinese culture and experience the warmth of the Taiwanese people.
The delegation of over 30 individuals included IYDU Chairwoman Charlotte Spurkeland and KMT National Development Institute Chairman Tony Kuo (郭壽旺).