Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday the Republic of China government will continue its diplomatic offensive to forge ties with as many countries as possible and share with them its successful experiences in development.
As an active member of the international community, Chen said, the ROC will also step up international humanitarian aid efforts by establishing a transparent and institutionalized foreign aid policy framework.
Chen made the remarks while meeting with ministers of foreign affairs of the ROC's four diplomatic allies in the Eastern Caribbean--Louis Straker, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Osborne Riviere, foreign minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica; Elvin Nimrod, foreign minister of Grenada; and Timothy Harris, foreign minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Despite the geographic distance, Chen said, the ROC and the four Eastern Caribbean nations have maintained cordial relationships because they have shared convictions in freedom, democracy, human rights, peace and international justice.
Chen said the ROC is an independent sovereign state, but its efforts to participate in international organizations and activities have often faced obstruction and suppression by Beijing authorities. "We have no intention of engaging in a zero-sum game with mainland China," Chen said. "Instead, we are more than willing to conduct peaceful dialogue with Beijing based on the principles of parity, reciprocity, rationality and dignity. We hope to resolve disputes with reason and wisdom to create a 'win-win' situation and bring peace and prosperity to the international community."
With its successful economic development, Chen went on, Taiwan has the capability of assisting other developing countries in their national development and offering humanitarian relief and aid to needy people in other countries. "We are formulating a foreign aid policy framework that would be transparent, legalized and supported by mainstream public opinion," Chen said, adding that in addition to forging a domestic consensus on relevant issues, the ROC will also strengthen consultations with its allies on issues of mutual concern.
Through exchanges of official visits, technological cooperation, trade, investment and various civilian and cultural exchanges, Chen said, ROC relations with its Eastern Caribbean allies have grown ever closer in recent years.
Chen expressed gratitude for the support of the four Eastern Caribbean allies for the ROC's bid to join major international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
The ministers of foreign affairs of the four Eastern Caribbean countries arrived in Taipei Monday to attend the sixth ROC-Eastern Caribbean Foreign Ministers Conference, which will open Thursday.
The annual meeting was first held in 1997 in Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis, with the aim of expanding bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the fields of politics, economics, trade, culture and education.