Your Holiness:
Your Holiness’message for the World Day of Peace for the Year 2001 entitled “Dialogue Between Cultures for a Civilization of Love and Peace!” has been passed on to me respectively by H.E. Msgr. Adolfo Tito Yllana, your Chargé d’Affaires in the Republic of China (ROC), and H.E. Mr. Raymond R.M. Tai, our Ambassador to the Holy See. I have read your peace message with great interest and admiration. I am in complete agreement with Your Holiness’ wise words: “…dialogue is a privileged means for building the civilization of love and peace…the theme of dialogue between cultures and traditions is crucial to the pursuit of peace.”
As we all know, today's world is a “global village.” Indeed, due to the impact of new communications technology, we are increasingly experiencing interdependence among different countries and different economies. Although differences among civilizations and nations are bound to exist, I believe that shared values in pursuit of human rights and democracy would reduce these conflicts and eventually lead to peace. I am pleased to advise Your Holiness that my new administration has been taking concrete measures to realize the protection of human rights at home and to promote closer contacts as well as peaceful relations with mainland China.
In my inaugural speech on May 20, 2000, I assured my people that I would protect their human rights by setting up an independent National Human Rights Commission, thereby realizing an action long advocated by the United Nations. I have done so by setting up a Presidential Human Rights Advisory Group on October 24, 2000, chaired by Vice President Annette Lu and made up of 21 members including Cardinal Paul Shan of Kaohsiung. Furthermore, my government is also working on the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission to put the protection measures of human rights into action in my country. On International Human Rights day, December 10 last year, I issued an amnesty decree in favor of 21 prisoners of which 19 were Jehovah’s witnesses, convicted for refusing to accept military conscription for religious reasons.
As regards to peace, my government has recently made a great effort in promoting cross-Strait reconciliation by unilaterally launching the “mini-three-links,” allowing the direct transport, trade and postal services between the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu and designated ports in the province of Fujian on mainland China. Three passenger vessels including one carrying a 500-member religious delegation sailed to and docked at Mawei harbor and the southern port of Xiamen on January 2nd, 2001. It was the first legal direct sailing from our offshore islands to the territory of mainland China. I sincerely hope that 2001 will be remembered as a year of reconciliation and peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
At the beginning of the 21st Century, we realize that one of the major problems facing the international community is that communism still exists in such countries as mainland China, North Korea, Vietnam and Cuba. As we have just rejoiced over the significant development of the peace process between the two Koreas in our region, I earnestly wish Your Holiness would continue to support the reconciliation process between Beijing and Taipei as Your Holiness has generously done so in the past. I do hope leaders in Beijing will agree to resume dialogue with us soon so that we may iron out our long-standing differences and find the common ground for a new framework of permanent peace.
Let’s hope the year of 2001 is a successful year of international dialogue for peace and love.
Please accept, Your Holiness, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Respectfully Yours,
/s/ Chen Shui-bian