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President Tsai meets former South African President F. W. de Klerk
President Tsai meets former South African President F. W. de Klerk
2018-10-10

President Tsai Ing-wen met a delegation led by former South African President F. W. de Klerk, accompanied by his wife, on the afternoon of October 10. In her remarks, President Tsai emphasized that Taiwan and South Africa share values that promote democracy, peace, and transitional justice. She went on to say that Taiwan will continue to uphold those values, and work with like-minded countries to fulfill our responsibilities to the international community.

On behalf of Taiwan, President Tsai welcomed our old friend Mr. de Klerk, leading a delegation to Taiwan for the ninth time. During this visit, the president said, he would witness Taiwan's democratic development after the third transition of political power and participate in our National Day celebrations. The president noted that Mr. de Klerk would also be speaking at the "Consolidation of Democracy: Issues and Challenges" seminar organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, sharing with us his invaluable experience in facilitating transitional justice and strengthening democracy.

President Tsai also mentioned that over the past two years, Taiwan has been actively promoting transitional justice. Although Taiwan has lifted martial law for more than 30 years, we have not yet completed the tasks of clarifying the truth and determining responsibility for past human rights violations and overturning unjust verdicts. So unfortunately, many people still cannot move on from their grief, so we have yet to achieve genuine reconciliation.

President Tsai further pointed out that we have passed the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice and set up an independent authority to take the tasks of clarifying the truth and achieving reconciliation seriously. To respond to complex and diverse ethnic issues, the president also convened regular meetings of Presidential Office Indigenous Historical Justice and Transitional Justice Committee to heal indigenous groups' wounds through dialogue.

Although Taiwan is a mature democracy, President Tsai said, confronting our dark history remains a challenge. We are fortunate in South Africa's past path which provides us with a source of inspiration. Mr. de Klerk's moral courage in facing adversity is especially admirable, and President Tsai said she looked forward to soliciting his views.

The president believes that Taiwan and South Africa share common values in promoting transitional justice, democracy, and peace. She thanked Mr. de Klerk for his long-standing support for Taiwan, and for publicly calling for a peaceful resolution of the dispute across the Taiwan Strait through dialogue that does not violate the universal values of democracy and human rights.

President Tsai remarked that she very much agrees with Mr. de Klerk's view, and that Taiwan will uphold its values, work together with like-minded countries, and shoulder its responsibilities as a member of the international community. She hopes for more exchanges and cooperation with South Africa's public and private sectors, as well as the FW de Klerk Foundation. In closing, the president once again welcomed Mr. and Mrs. de Klerk to Taiwan, and expressed hope that Taiwan and South Africa will continue to shine on the global stage because of the harmony and co-prosperity of their diverse ethnic groups and cultures.

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