President Chen Receives a Group of Foreigners of the 31st Sino-Amercian Conference on Contemporary China
Taipei, June 4 (CNA) An alliance based on the principles of democracy, freedom and human rights is taking shape between the Republic of China and the United States, President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday.
Taiwan's ever-deepening democracy and his government's contribution to the U.S. led anti-terrorist campaign and stability in the Asia-Pacific region have earned it the trust of the U.S. government, cementing the "Democratic Alliance" between them, Chen said when receiving a group of foreigners who came here for the 31st Sino-Amercian Conference on Contemporary China between June 3-4.
It is because of this alliance that U.S. President George Bush reiterated during his February trip to East Asia that "America will remember its commitments to the people of Taiwan," and that his government will provide Taiwan with necessary protection under the Taiwan Relations Act, Chen went on.
However, the People's Republic of China's military buildup and its refusal to give up force as a means of solving its disputes with Taiwan has made the Taiwan Strait a potential hotspot in the region, he said.
As leader of the country, Chen said, it is his duty to maintain the stability and peace across the strait and to push for the normalization of ties with Beijing.
The first step toward this is the normalization of economic and trade ties, which depend heavily on direct links between the two sides, he went on.
Taiwan is willing to talk with mainland China on the issue as long as it is not debased, marginalized or brought down to the level of a local government under the PRC in the process. The ROC's ties with the United States is better than at any time since 1979, when Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, Chen added.