Her Excellency Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy,
Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony,
Hon. Claudius Francis, President of the Senate,
Hon. Peter Foster, Speaker of the House of Assembly,
Members of Cabinet,
Hon. Leader of the Opposition Dr. Gail Rigobert,
Members of the Senate,
Members of the House of Assembly,
Diplomatic Corps,
Members of Media, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome
On behalf of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all of you and thank you for joining us this evening to celebrate the 103rd birthday of my country.
National Development
A hundred and three years ago, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of our nation, formulated a blueprint for building the Republic of China into an advanced and democratic country. His ideals have now been realized in Taiwan, where we enjoy freedom and democracy and live in a prosperous society.
Cross-Strait Relations
Since President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office in May 2008, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has strived to improve cross-strait relations and safeguard peace. Contacts with mainland China have been based on the 1992 Consensus “one China, respective interpretations” and also the principles of “mutual non-recognition of sovereignty” and “mutual non-denial of the authority to govern.”
Following six years of efforts, cross-strait relations have moved from confrontation to reconciliation. Substantive achievements include the signing of 21 agreements such as the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), an average of 118 scheduled cross-strait direct flights each day, and Mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan have increased from 200,000 in 2007 to 2.85 million last year. The relationship between the two sides has shifted from being stuck in a “vicious cycle” to being a win-win “virtuous cycle.”
The East China Sea Peace Initiative and Peacemaker
President Ma has committed not only to pursuing peaceful cross-strait relations, but also maintaining regional peace and stability. Given the escalating tention over sovereignty of the Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea, President Ma proposed the East China Sea Peace Initiative on August 5, 2012 calling on all parties concerned (1) to demonstrate restraint and avoid confrontational acts, (2) to shelve controversies and not abandon dialogue, (3) to respect international law and deal with disputes through peaceful means, (4) to seek consensus and draft an East China Sea Code of Conduct, and (5) to establish a mechanism for cooperation on exploring and developing resources in the region.
Following the spirit of the Peace Initiative, in 2013, Taiwan and Japan signed the Fisheries Agreement, thereby resolving a 40-year dispute over fishing rights in the waters surrounding the Diaoyutai Islands. This Agreement demonstrates the concept that “ sovereignty cannot be divided, but natural resources can be shared,” and set an example for future cooperation to maintain regional peace and development.
In view of President Ma’s contribution to the regional peace and stability, People to People International(PTPI), an organization founded by late US President Dwight Eisenhower, has awarded President Ma with the Eisenhower Peace Medallion in September 2014. In the ceremony, President Ma stated that his acceptance of this award was to represent the affirmation of Taiwan’s commitment to the pursuit of peace.
The ROC continues to expand its international participation.
The Republic of China is pragmatic to seek for meaningful participation in international arena, with particular focus on the World Health Organization(WHO), International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO), and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC), that address issues pertaining to the welfare of global societies.
Since 2009 the Minister for Health of Taiwan has been invited to participate the World Health Assembly for 6 consecutive years. In September 2013 Taiwan was invited to attend the ICAO Assembly. Taiwan is continuously seeking to escalate its participation in UNFCCC.
In the New Year speech of 2014, President Ma declared that Taiwan would make every effort to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP). It is widely believed that the participation of the TPP and the RCEP will benefit the economy of Taiwan and the region.
Saint Lucia’s Strong Support to Taiwan
The Republic of China highly values the cordial relations with St. Lucia. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to the government and people of St. Lucia for supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and especially to the plea for a fuller participation of Taiwan in the WHO and the ICAO made on 30th September, 2014 by Hon. Alva Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, in General Assembly of the United Nations.
Exchanges between Taiwan and Saint Lucia are thriving
Exchanges of visit are essential to the relations between our two countries. After the State visit of President Ma Ying-Jeou to St. Lucia in August 2013, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony led a delegation including Minister Hon. Emma Hippolyte of Commerce for an official visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan) in November 2013. Minister Hon. Moses Jn. Baptiste of Agriculture, Minister Hon. Stanley Felix of Housing and Urban Renewal, visited my country in June and August of this year respectively. And Minister Hon. Victor La Corbiniere of Home Affairs is currently visiting Taiwan.
In terms of people-to-people exchanges, there are over 80 Taiwan scholarship students from Saint Lucia studying in Taiwan. More than 30 students have returned to Saint Lucia and established Taiwan Alumni Association. There are about 15 government officials attending different workshops in Taiwan yearly. There are doctors and nurses from Taiwan in 2014 served as medical volunteers in St. Jude Hospital. Last month Taiwan Youth Ambassadors on September 12 had a successful performance in the National Culture Centre with a fullseated audience of 800 people coming to watch.
Cooperation Projects between Taiwan and Saint Lucia
The cooperation projects between our two countries have made good progress. The projects include the St. Jude Hospital Reconstruction, the Vigie Beach Vending Facility, the Banana Black Sigatoka Prevention and Treatment, the Constituency Development Program, the Playing Field and Recreation Facility Lighting, the Multi-Channel Data Center, the Sustainable Energy, the Fishery Development and Construction, the Block Making Facility, the Procurement of Forensic Equipment, the Community Access Center, National Aquatic Center and the Nobel Laureate Hon. Derek Walcott Place project. I am glad to learn that the projects such as the Banana Black Sigatoka Prevention and Treatment project has increased 6% in the export of bananas in 2013, and the Constituency Development Program has created more than 3,800 jobs. In connection with the signing of ICT Cooperation Agreement between our two countries early this year, the Digitisation Center and the 311 Contact Center were established in January and September, 2014.
The projects for agriculture and aquaculture are also in good shape. Taiwan Technical Mission worked together with the Ministry of Agriculture, has produced 82,000 tilapia fingerling, 800,000 freshwater prawn fry this year. It also held 5 workshops and one farmer field school with more than 300 farmers participated.
Success of Viable Diplomacy
Ladies and gentlemen, since President Ma adopted the viable diplomacy in 2008, the Republic of China(Taiwan) has been able to expand its participation in international activities, to consolidate relations with allies, and to enhance substantive ties with other nations. Through viable diplomacy, the Republic of China will continue to solidify its roles as a peacemaker, a provider of humanitarian aid, a promoter of cultural exchanges, a creator of new technologies and business opportunities, and a standard-bearer of Chinese-speaking culture.
In closing, thank you once again for joining us to celebrate the 103rd birthday of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and wish you all good health and prosperity. Please join me in a toast to the cordial and strong relationship between our two countries! Long live the Republic of China and long live Saint Lucia!
Thank you.
