INFORMATIE

SURINAME-TAIWAN FRIENDSHIP FOUNDATION

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Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Reduit Beach Avenue, Rodney Bay

Gros Islet, St. Lucia, W. I.

Press Releases

Taiwan President Ma en route to Honduras and Dominican Republic with 10 tons of

disaster relief supplies for Haiti

President Ma Ying-jeou of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on the evening of January 25 departed on a trip to Honduras where he will attend the inauguration ceremonies for President-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa.

President Ma said at the airport while one objective of this trip is to attend the inauguration of an ally's president, another goal is to congratulate Honduras on restoring order and demonstrating democratic values once again. Meanwhile, the President remarked that over 100,000 people have tragically lost their lives so far in Haiti, which suffered its worst earthquake in 200 years. As a result, on his return to Taiwan from Honduras, he will stop over in the Dominican Republic and meet with President Leonel Fernández to discuss measures to assist Haiti. He will also meet with Haitian officials to talk about post-disaster reconstruction for the country. The President stated he will also pay a visit to Chi Wang-teh, the Minister at the ROC Embassy to Haiti, as well as other embassy staff and their families, and overseas compatriots, who were evacuated to the Dominican Republic. He wants to discuss with them ways to lend further assistance to Haiti.

President Ma's chartered flight is carrying 10 tons of disaster relief supplies which will be unloaded in the Dominican Republic for delivery by road to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

The ROC government has already pledged to provide US$5 million in financial assistance to Haiti, and the private sector is providing nearly US$4 million in material goods. The ROC has already dispatched five rescue and medical teams to Haiti, who departed from Taiwan within one day of the earthquake, extending enormous help to the country. In the past few days, President Ma spoke over the telephone with the leader of one of the teams from Taiwan, who said his team had just rescued a Frenchman. The President said that it was very moving to hear the excitement in the voice of the team leader. President Ma furthermore said that the international media has filed many reports on the rescue efforts made by the teams from the ROC. This has enabled people throughout the world to see that Taiwan is a democratic, free, peace-loving, and humanitarian nation. This is something in which all of Taiwan's people can take pride.

President Ma said the disaster in Haiti has only just begun, and that nation will require large amounts of long-term assistance. He said that we will consider this in deciding how to best assist Haiti in overcoming the difficulties it is presently facing.

Meanwhile, an ROC C-130 Hercules transport aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to Haiti landed at San Isidro Airport in the Dominican Republic January 24, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced. It was the longest mission that an ROC Air Force plane has ever been on, the MND added.

After unloading its relief supplies, the C-130 left the airport immediately, with the same crew members on board. The United States government gave the plane permission to land on US soil for refueling en route to the Dominican Republic.  The mission marks a new milestone in humanitarian cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, analysts said. The two nations broke off diplomatic ties in 1979.  The military airplane brought medical supplies for the earthquake victims in Haiti, including antibiotics, stomach medicine and bandages.

Following a precedent established in 2004, when the military was involved with a relief mission to help victims of a tsunami in Southeast Asia, the ROC national flag on the plane was blacked out, to avoid political controversy with countries that do not have diplomatic ties with the ROC. However, the crew members planted an ROC national flag outside the cabin upon its arrival in the Dominican Republic. ROC flags were also attached to every package of the 5.3 tons of relief goods so the world could see Taiwan’s love for Haiti.

Isaac Tsai, Taiwan's ambassador to the Dominican Republic, immediately handed the cargo over to his Haitian counterpart Ambassador Fritz N. Cineas.  The cargo was then transported to Haiti by land immediately.  The first shipment of Taiwanese medical supplies to earthquake-ravaged Haiti arrived in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince from the neighboring Dominican Republic Monday January 25.

Henriette Chamouillet, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) representative stationed in Haiti, received the medical donation on behalf of the Geneva-based world regulatory body.  Chamouillet expressed gratitude for Taiwan's generosity in extending a helping hand to Haiti at a time when it faces urgent needs for emergency relief.

Taiwan President to deliver relief supplies for Haiti

via Dominican Republic

President Ma Ying-jeou of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is scheduled to make a short stop in the Dominican Republic to discuss humanitarian aid and post-earthquake reconstruction work for Haiti following his visit to Honduras later this month.

President Ma will embark on his six-day overseas trip on 25^th January and return to Taipei 30^th January.  He will attend the inauguration of Honduran President-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa on 27^th January.  Ma will leave for the Dominican Republic 28^th January for a summit meeting with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez Reyna on assistance to Haiti.

During his brief stay in the Dominican Republic, President Ma will also visit ROC Ambassador to Haiti Hsu Mien-sheng and Minister Chi Wang-der, both of whom suffered injuries when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti earlier this month.

President Ma’s charter plane will carry more than 10 containers of medical and relief supplies for earthquake victims, which will be delivered via the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince.  “We wish to help the earthquake-stricken nation, and we want to do it quickly,” President Ma said.  “Due to the enormous scale of death and destruction in Haiti, we want not only to express our sincere support as a diplomatic ally, but also to fulfill our humanitarian responsibilities,” the President stressed.  There are no political maneuvers involved in the relief work by Taiwan and China in the Caribbean country, President Ma remarked.

Meanwhile, a report on the Wall Street Journal praised Taiwan for its help with relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, one of Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies.  Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations or the World Health Organization, Taiwan's relief efforts in Haiti are no less than those of any of the member countries, the report stated.

The President said that since he took office in May two years ago, his government has been giving high priority to peace and humanitarian efforts, seeking peace across the Taiwan Strait and pushing for a truce in the tug-of-war between Taiwan and China for diplomatic allies.  The two sides should use their resources to help countries in need, he said. 

Taiwan has made a donation of US$5 million, shipped 200 tons of rice, 70 tons of humanitarian supplies and sent two rescue teams to the earthquake-stricken island, while a few more relief and medical teams and materials mobilized by charities and relief organizations in Taiwan are on their way to Haiti, actually some of which are already in operation both in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  It was reported that two people were rescued alive from rubbles by the 1^st Taiwanese rescue team.

The Star, 10^th December, 2009, Saint Lucia

Written By: Kayra Williams

What would you say if you were told that St Lucia was home to the largest and the overall best Orchid Centre in the Caribbean? Most people would first question when exactly Orchids became a big deal in St Lucia in the first place, but truth be told, the Taiwanese Embassy has been promoting the high value product for some time now.

Monday, December 7 marked the opening ceremony for an Orchid Centre at the Taiwanese Demonstration Farm in Union. At the ceremony Taiwanese ambassador Tom Chou welcomed all to the “Kingdom of the Butterfly Orchid.”

The Taiwanese ambassador went on to explain why the Taiwanese wanted to develop the Orchid industry in St Lucia. The ambassador said Orchids would do well in a warm climate in St Lucia and the plant did not need much space to grow. There was also not surprisingly a high market for Orchids in St Lucia and the Caribbean.

“We chose butterfly orchid as our main product because it has beautiful colours, shapes, and last longer (in average six weeks),” said Chou.

With Taiwan being the world’s largest Orchid exporter, its introduction to St Lucia had been in the works for some time. Twenty-five percent of the world’s Orchid market share goes to Taiwan with a total export value of EC $220 million. At the opening ceremony Chou said Taiwan’s experience in Orchid production and marketing would prove to be very useful for St Lucia.

A tissue culture lab and green house was completed in September this year for mass production purposes. At the ceremony it was revealed that the newly completed sophisticated green house (1,382 square meters) provided the ideal environment for Orchids to grow through temperature and humidity control. Moreover, Tom Chou said the greenhouse could also control blossom timing. A method that made it possible to have the flowers all year round, rather than just six months a year.

The sophisticated green house can accommodate at least 40,000 orchid plants while another ordinary green house can accommodate 100,000 plantlets from the tissue culture lab. The interior designs of the greenhouses, such as temperature control and maximum utilization of space, are the most advanced in the Caribbean. The centre plans to produce 30,000 orchids a year in the early stage with market value of EC$ 1.2 million.

“We can increase the production according to the market demand,” Chou said. According to the Taiwanese Ambassador the short-term goal of the Orchid project is to attract local consumers and cruise ship visitors. The mid-term and long-term goals are the Caribbean and the world markets, respectively. Chou had high hopes of helping St Lucia achieve EC$5 million a year as a long-term goal, something he said had to be worked for.

“With strong support of the prime minister and agriculture minister Ezechiel Joseph, this joint effort project is making excellent progress,” said Tom Chou. “We have put a lot of efforts in upgrading the agricultural sector by introducing new technology and good potential products. Moreover, we also integrate tourism into the agriculture that will benefit farmers and the tourism industry. We are transferring the Union farm into a tourism farm.”

In the future the Taiwanese ambassador said persons would have to buy tickets to enter the Kingdom of Butterfly Orchids! Professional guides would take interested parties into the fascinating world of Orchids, and of course, according to Chou, “coffee, cold drinks and snacks will be sold here too.”

“At the end of his speech Chou noted that the beautiful Orchids matched the image of St Lucia, as the island was known to be the best honeymoon destination in the world. In his words: “The beautiful colours of butterfly Orchid match the image of this country and will make the island more unique than other Caribbean countries.”

The Star, 10^th November, 2009, Saint Lucia

On Wednesday the Taiwan Embassy will hand over one of its most involved projects to the government of St Lucia, the National Mental Wellness Centre which they committed to in 2007.

The completion of the Saint Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre undertaking by Taiwan is scheduled to be handed over to the government of Saint Lucia on Wednesday.

The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Family Affairs, National Mobilization, Human Services and Gender Relations, is scheduled to hold the handing-over ceremony of the Saint Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre on 11th November 2009 at 10am at Millennium Highway, Coubaril. Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy and Prime Minister Stephenson King, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, President of the Senate, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and Senators have been invited to witness this historical moment.

When the Psychiatric Hospital Project came to a halt in 2007 due to the renewing of diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan), the government of Taiwan committed itself to completion of the project. In order to make sure that the project met international standards and to make it sustainable, experts from Taiwan visited the site before the Saint Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre project restarted on 30th October 2008.

Just over one year of construction, the Saint Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre is completed and has become one of, if not the most state-of-the-art psychiatric hospitals in the Caribbean comprising of: 84 beds for psychiatric patients; 24 beds for neurological, geriatric, and general patients; Diagnostic center for X ray; The best auditorium in Saint Lucia; merge kitchen, laundry, medical records, library rooms; administrative services for the neuro-psychiatric center and the new general hospital within the premises of the neuro-psychiatric center.

The Saint Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre is also a brand-new concept psychiatric hospital. Firstly the main difference between the old and new concept is that the old design would have served as purely a psychiatric hospital without incorporating the essential characteristics of the psychiatric patients. However, under the “Brand New Concept” the Saint Lucia Mental Wellness Centre will now serve neurology and geriatric patients as well. Secondly the “Brand New Concept” was designed with psychiatric patients in mind. For instance, the rooms for the severely mentally-ill patients are fitted with cushioned walls so that patients won’t hurt themselves as opposed to bare concrete walls in the old design. Thirdly thought was given to the safety aspect of exposed showers which are not imbedded into the walls, and now they cannot be used for any suicide attempt after being rectified and concealed. Fourthly panel glass have been designed that if broken it will not shatter and cause harm to the patients.

The completion of the Saint Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre signifies the fulfillment of commitment made by Taiwan in 2007. It also signifies the determination and commitment by the government of Saint Lucia to good health in the country.

—Embassy of Taiwan

7^th October, 2009 

The Republic of China’s 98^th National Day

The 10^th day of October marks the 98^th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan).  However, the government and people in Taiwan decided not to celebrate in large scale this auspicious day at home and abroad, since they wish to pool all the budgeted resources for celebration activities into rehabilitating and rebuilding the devastated townships and villages by Typhoon Morakot in August.

The Republic of China (ROC), founded in 1912 on the Chinese mainland, is Asia's oldest constitutional republic.  At that time, Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule as a result of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, by which the Ching court ceded Taiwan to Japan.  The Nanjing-based ROC government began exercising jurisdiction over Taiwan at the end of World War II when Japan renounced sovereignty over the island as a term of surrender.  Four years later, when the Kuomingtang (KMT) was defeated in the Chinese Civil War and Chinese Communist Party established the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the Chinese mainland in 1949, the ROC government relocated to Taiwan, by which it is better known.  Since then, the ROC has continued to exercise effective jurisdiction over Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and numerous other islets, leaving Taiwan and the Chinese mainland each under the rule of a different government.  Their different identities and cultures have diverged ever more.

The authorities in Beijing have never exercised sovereignty over Taiwan or other islands administered by the ROC government in Taipei.  There are differences of opinion among ROC citizens over whether it is best to maintain this status quo indefinitely or work out a different relationship with the Chinese mainland.  Regardless, they share the conviction that their future must be based on freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and that only they have the right to decide their own future.

Aiming to strengthen the ROC’s contribution to regional peace and stability, the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou, who took office in May 2008, has striven to cultivate closer and more amicable relations with mainland China under the principle of “putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people.”  The two governments across the Taiwan Strait have since focused on issues of immediate, practical importance to both Taiwan and mainland China and put aside thorny sovereignty issues.

Substantial progress has been made in cross-strait exchange and cooperation through dialogue between Taiwan’s semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and mainland China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS).  During the first year of the new administration, direct passenger and cargo charter flights between cities on opposite sides of the strait were launched, direct shipping links put in place, cross-strait postal services expanded, Chinese mainland media correspondents stationed in Taiwan, and the number of Chinese mainland tourist visits to Taiwan increased dramatically.  Financial restrictions were also eased, making Chinese yuan exchange services available in Taiwan.  These developments underscore a change in the attitude of authorities in both Taipei and Beijing that is conducive to fostering cooperation and building mutual trust.

The ROC is a sovereign state that maintains its own national defense and conducts its own foreign affairs.  It has full diplomatic relations with 23 countries and substantive ties with more than 140 others. It is an active member of 28 intergovernmental organizations (IGO), including the World Trade Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Asian Development Bank.  After a major breakthrough in May 2009, Taiwan, through years of effort, is now an official observer at the World Health Assembly of the United Nations’ World Health Organization.  It also has observer status in 20 other IGOs and their subsidiary bodies, such as the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  Meanwhile, Taiwanese non-governmental organizations (NGO) participate in the activities of over 2,100 international NGOs.  Taiwan’s campaign  in 2009 for the meaningful participation in the activities of United Nations specialized agencies like the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has won support from the international community to date. 

Despite limitations on the ROC’s ability to fully participate in important international organizations, it remains committed to pulling its weight in the global community to create a better world.  In addition to sharing its economic success experience under the APEC framework and through development programs promoted by the International Cooperation and Development Fund, the nation’s public and private sectors are active in providing humanitarian assistance worldwide.  Taiwan International Health Action coordinates global medical missions and about 30 ROC-based NGOs have provided humanitarian relief in 50 countries.

Taiwan's first trade mission to Trinidad, St Vincent and St Lucia to boost regional trade relations


Published on Tuesday, September 22, 2009

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The foremost non-profit trade and investment promotion organization in Taiwan, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has been entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Taiwan to organize and lead a trade mission to Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and St Lucia to conduct trade meetings, exhibitions, seminars and other relevant promotional activities, from 24th September to 4th October.

Bringing with them the latest information as well as new opportunities for business and trade, the delegation comprises dynamic enterprises that represent various industries, ranging from fashion, gifts and stationery, furniture, auto parts, electronics to high tech industries. The trade mission not only serves as a platform for networking and meeting among all enterprises but it is also seen as an ideal occasion for establishing closer trade ties between Taiwan and the countries within the Caribbean region.

The delegation initially begins their trade mission with a 2-day stop in Trinidad & Tobago from Sept. 24 to 25. A seminar on Sept. 25th, which will be held in Port of Spain, will present Taiwan’s latest business opportunities. Various trade meetings between the Taiwan delegates and local enterprises will follow after the event. From Sept. 28 to 29, the delegates will be exhibiting their products in Kingstown of St Vincent, and from Oct. 2 to 4 the delegates will be exhibiting their products in St Lucia.

The organizer of this trade mission, TAITRA, will also showcase winning products of the Taiwan Excellence Gold Awards, as well as numerous promotional materials and catalogs to represent Taiwan’s key business sectors, at the same time offer helpful tips on how to do business with Taiwan. In addition, TAITRA will facilitate in product/supplier sourcing and match-making with Taiwanese manufacturers as well. Therefore, TAITRA welcomes and invites enterprises to take advantage of this chance to learn more about Taiwan and the business prospects that are available on the island.
 

11^th September, 2009

Press Release

Taiwan New Cabinet sworn in

Taiwan’s new Premier Wu Den-yih and his Cabinet were sworn in on Thursday, 10^th September, 2009.  At a press conference after the swearing-in ceremony, President Ma Ying-jeou said the challenges Premier Wu and his Cabinet face are: reconstruction and rehabilitation following the onslaught of Typhoon Morakot, disaster prevention, protection of the natural environment, stimulation of the economy and containment of the swine flu epidemic.  Ma characterized Wu's as an "action Cabinet," which is able to meet the challenges.  "The new Cabinet has the ability to execute competitiveness and soft power to complete its tasks ahead," President Ma pointed out.

"Premier Wu will draw upon his government executive experience in central and southern Taiwan and his political acumen to ensure a smooth interaction between the administration and the legislative branch of the government to usher in a new era for the country," President Ma stressed.

Before he was elected to the Legislative Yuan, the Parliament of Taiwan, Wu had served as magistrate of Nantou County and mayor of Kaohsiung City for eight years at each post.

On the other hand, the Vice Premier Eric Chu is a young but very capable political leader, who is well-liked by everybody, President Ma said. Chu was magistrate of Taoyuan County when he was tapped as Vice Premier.  Before his election to the magistracy, Chu was a lawmaker and a professor at prestigious National Taiwan University.  In particular, Ma said, Chu has economic and financial expertise, fully complementary to Wu's in the political and administrative fields.  The new Cabinet has 14 new faces, "They are all good members of the 'action' Cabinet," President Ma added.

At the first Cabinet meeting that followed the swearing-in, Premier Wu said the major task the administration is facing is to complete the program for reconstruction and rehabilitation, protect the natural environment to prevent landslides and floods, contain the swine flu epidemic, stimulate the economy, increase employment and improve foreign relations, as well as relations between Taiwan and China.

Premier Wu said, in response to a press query, that he would try to sign an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China with due oversight of the Parliament.

Meanwhile, Mr. Timothy Chin-Tien Yang, a veteran career diplomat, is now the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  He was Taiwan’s Representative to Indonesia before assuming the new post.  Mr. Yang had served as Representative to Ireland, Director-General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, USA, Director-General of the Department of African Affairs, Secretary-General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Representative to Australia and Director General of the Foreign Service Institute.

7^th September, 2009

Press Release

Saint Lucia and Taiwan sign Agreement on Volunteers

Honourable Rufus Bousquet, Minister for External Affairs, International Trade and Investment, signed an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Government of Saint Lucia on ICDF Volunteers with his Taiwanese counterpart H. E. Ambassador Francisco Ou in Taipei, Taiwan on 1^st September.  It lays the legal foundation for the International Cooperation and Development Fund in Taiwan to dispatch volunteers as requested by the Government of Saint Lucia.

H. E. Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), met with Minister Bousquet and his delegation on the afternoon of 1^st September.  He commented that over the past two years since the two countries resumed diplomatic ties, significant progress has been seen in agricultural and computer-related cooperation projects. The president acknowledged with deep appreciation Saint Lucia's donation of US$100,000 in the wake of the disaster caused by Typhoon Morakot, adding that the people of Taiwan will always remember this friendly gesture.  President Ma also said that in the course of the ROC's quest to participate in international organizations, Saint Lucia has spoken on behalf of Taiwan on many occasions.  He stated that the support of Saint Lucia was a major reason why Taiwan was able to attend this year's World Health Assembly as an observer, and specially thanked Saint Lucia in that regard.

President Ma also remarked that while Saint Lucia has a population of only 170,000, it has produced two Nobel Prize laureates, which attests to the excellent education and unique training provided to students in that country.  The president said that in addition to the existing agriculture and information technology cooperation projects, the ROC is pleased to share its developmental experience with Saint Lucia in a variety of national and community development projects.  He stressed that interaction and cooperation between the two countries will not be adversely impacted by improvement in relations between Taiwan and mainland China.  Rather, President Ma said that he hopes to see cooperative relations between Taiwan and Saint Lucia be further expanded in the future.

Minister Bousquet, on behalf of Prime Minister Stephenson King, expressed his sympathies to Taiwan in relation to the August 8 disaster here.  He said that the people of Saint Lucia are deeply moved by the many efforts made by the ROC over the years to assist in his nation's development, adding that the people of his country are willing to lend support to the people of Taiwan in their hour of need.  In the future, Saint Lucia will continue to support Taiwan's participation in the international community, he said.  Minister Bousquet also expressed his hopes that cooperation between the two countries will become even more comprehensive, helping to forge even closer relations and a stronger alliance in the future.

It was the first time for Minister Bousquet to lead a delegation to visit Taiwan from 30^th August to 4^th September in the capacity of the Minister for External Affairs.

17^th August, 2009

Press Release

Saint Lucia offers timely assistance to Taiwan

Honourable Stephenson King, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, in the presence of Honourable Ezechiel Joseph, Minister for Agriculture, land, Fisheries and Forestry, and other officials, donated a check of US$100,000 to H. E. Tom Chou, Ambassador of the Republic China (Taiwan), as a relief fund to help Taiwan recover from the catastrophe resulted from Typhoon Morakot on 10^th August. 

Prime Minister King indicated that the donation will be forwarded by the Embassy through the Red Cross Taiwan in order to help the Indigenous people and those who live in the mountainous regions and who have been hit the hardest with some villages being virtually destroyed.  Prime Minister King further elaborated that government and people of ROC (Taiwan) has been a true friend to Saint Lucia. This donation is specifically in return for the grass root projects that the Embassy of ROC (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia has been doing in the past two years to help people who live in remote and less privileged areas on this island.  The Two countries have always shared a relationship like no other and this has grown over the last 2-1/2 years. He is certain that Taiwan will rise out of this disaster with an even greater will and determination to put measures in place to fight future natural disasters, with the resilience, hard work and tenaciousness of its people and government.

In the aftermath of the disaster in Taiwan, Prime Minister King met with Ambassador Tom Chou on Monday, 10^th August to express condolences to the people of Taiwan over the loss of life and property.  He also assured the Ambassador that Saint Lucia stood ready and willing to do its part in anyway possible to assist the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan) in time of need.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade & Investment immediately sent an official note to the Taiwan Embassy indicating that “the government and people of Saint Lucia express their sympathy and support to the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on the destruction and loss of life caused by Typhoon Morakot.”  ”The government of Saint Lucia is confident that the resolve and discipline of the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) will serve to ensure that the country recovers swiftly from the effects of this typhoon with a prompt reconstruction effort and continues towards its development goals.”

On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Ambassador Tom Chou received the timely and much treasured donation and thanked most sincerely for the most heartened offer and friendly gesture from both the government and people of Saint Lucia.  Ambassador Chou said that Saint Lucia is a true friend of Taiwan, and he felt the Typhoon Morakot binds the two people together.  He commented, “Good friends stand together in the period of mourning and grief.  Your sincerity and love behind the donation are most precious which will help us to heal the broken hearts and speed up the recovering process.  Taiwan sill rise up from the ashes of the natural disaster and rebuild the southern part of Taiwan.” He also promised to convey the expectation of the Saint Lucian government and people to the Red Cross in Taiwan, to make sure the best use of it by helping the indigenous people in the most needed areas, and to return with sound accountability.

In the meantime, the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia has in the past few days been inundated with visits, telephone calls and emails from government officials, local citizens and international organizations expressing concerns and condolences for the most disastrous damages in the past five decades resulted from Typhoon Morakot in southern Taiwan.

Singapore, Israel, Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, South Korea, The Holy See and many other countries have shipped in emergency supplies.  Altogether over 60 countries, the European Union and at least 19 international and non-governmental organizations have contributed money to Taiwan's relief efforts.  In the Caribbean, the Government of Saint Lucia pioneered in donation and joined other diplomatic allies like Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in expressing condolences and making commitments to help Taiwan.

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan and Foreign Minister Francisco Ou have on several occasions extended the ROC (Taiwan) government's appreciation to the goodwill and willingness of the international community to offer aid in Taiwan's difficulties stemming from Typhoon Morakot.

Heavy rainfall, along with landslides, continued in the days after the typhoon first began to affect Taiwan and resulted in damaged roads and bridges, which impeded rescue operations by the armed forces.  Full-scale rescue operations could not begin until 10^th August when the weather cleared up, at which point the military dispatched personnel by land and air to affected areas.  Thousands of people from isolated villages were rescued and transported to safe centers by the Armed Forces mainly via helicopters.

Typhoon Morakot, which lashed Taiwan with at least 280cm of rain in one day, has caused at least US$910m in damages to agriculture and infrastructure.  Reconstruction is expected to cost some US$3.65bn.  The official death toll is 124, however, it is generally believed to be over 500. 

The Marine Corps mobilized 12,000 servicemen to help with post-typhoon cleanup efforts in 14 townships of Pingtung County on Sunday in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, which caused the most serious flooding in southern Taiwan in 50 years, focusing on cleaning mud and sludge from the streets and decomposing fish from fish ponds. Moreover, tens of thousands of volunteers from notable charity foundations and university students all over Taiwan poured in those flooded townships to help clean streets and households.

                                                                                                                6^th July, 2009 

St. Jude Hospital to Sign Twinning Agreement with

Changhua Christian Hospital in Taiwan

Further to the preliminary visit in February, a delegation consisting of Dr. Yee-wen HUANG and Dr. Nina KAO from Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH), one the prominent teaching hospitals in Taiwan, is scheduled to arrive in Saint Lucia on Monday, 6^th July to sign an “Agreement to Explore Avenues for the Twinning of St. Jude Hospital, Saint Lucia and Changhua Christian Hospital, Republic of China (Taiwan)”on the morning of Wednesday, 8^th July at St. Jude Hospital.

Hon. Dr. Keith Mondesir, Minister for Health, Wellness, Family Affairs, National Mobilization, Human Services and Gender Relations and H. E. Tom Chou, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) will be present to witness the auspicious occasion, while Mr. Percival McDonald, Chairman of the Board of Directors of St Jude Hospital and Dr. Yee-wen HUANG, Head of the CCH delegation on behalf of Dr. Shou Ren KUO, Superintendent of CCH, conduct the signing of the Agreement.

Both Medical facilities agree to undertake a comprehensive exchange of information on the health sector, provision of international volunteers and to facilitate the increase in knowledge of health care professionals through the conduct of seminars and professional training and exchanges of staff on the basis of equality and reciprocity.

Three technical staff members from St. Jude Hospital are currently undergoing a three-month bio-medical training program at CCH in Taiwan under the auspices of both the Government of R.O.C. (Taiwan) and CCH.  They are scheduled to return to Saint Lucia to further strengthen the medical services at St. Jude Hospital by mid-September this year.  Many more programs and areas of cooperation along with relevant schedules are to be discussed by the authorized representatives of both parties and agreed upon after the signing of the said agreement.

Prime Minister Stephenson King and Health Minister Dr. Keith Mondesir have stressed on many occasions the significance and urgency in areas of health and medical cooperation with Taiwan so as to upgrade the services and the capacity building for St. Jude Hospital, and to more strategically balance medical resources between the north and the south of the country.  This appeal has been warmly echoed by Taiwanese Ambassador Tom Chou.  He immediately managed to mobilize a medical mission to visit Saint Lucia last year, committed to the completion and upgrade of the National Mental Wellness Center which is going to be completed by mid-September, and bridged the sisterhood for St. Jude Hospital and CCH, among others.

With its Doctrine of serving people and preaching gospels in the name of Jesus Christ the loving Savior of the world and a Mission of Medical care, Evangelism, Service, Education and Research in mind, Changhua Christian Hospital is a 1600 beds medical center located in central Taiwan.  It is one of the country’s premier academic medical centers and a major referral center for the Mid-South area and beyond.  The hospital affiliates/subsidiaries provide a range of healthcare services including acute and critical inpatient care, ambulatory care, wellness and prevention programs.  In September 2008, CCH earned accreditation from Joint Commission International, the worldwide leader in improving the quality of health care. 

It is the largest hospital in central Taiwan, employing over 3,800 people and receiving approximately 5,000 patient-visits daily.  For more than a century, the hospital has built a reputation for excellence unsurpassed by any healthcare institution in Taiwan.  It is given the highest mark “Superior” in hospital accreditation and “Excellent” in teaching hospital.  CCH offers a complete array of patient-centered health care services delivered in a beautiful facility.  Its medical team functions to coordinate and to provide multidisciplinary specialty care for patients with special medical needs for the goal to provide patients and their families with the best healthcare service available.

22^nd May, 2009

Press Release

Prime Minister King Congratulates Taiwan’s Participation in WHA

Honourable Stphenson King, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, in a letter to His Excellency Tom Chou, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), expresses his “sincere congratulations” to the Government of Taiwan on the “momentous and historic occasion” for being invited as an observer to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) which is held in Geneva from 18^th to 22^nd May.  Prime Minister King also pledges “Saint Lucia’s full support for Taiwan’s quest to become a full-fledged member of the United Nations.“  In addition, King looks forward to Taiwan’s contribution to this most crucial WHA meeting.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan had formally invited Taiwan’s Minister of Health to lead a delegation to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) in the capacity of an observer.  Taiwan’s presence in the WHA exemplifies the first time at any Specialized Agencies under the UN since 1971, especially at the critical time of combating global threat of AH1N1.  

Upon receiving instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan, Ambassador Tom Chou immediately wrote a letter to inform Prime Minister King, expressing Taiwan’s profound gratitude for the staunch support from the Government and people of Saint Lucia in the past two years for Taiwan’s appeal to participate in WHO.  Without the strong and unreserved support from all Taiwan’s diplomatic allies like Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Eastern Caribbean, and many other friendly countries like the US, Japan, the European Union, Canada, etc. it would not have been possible for Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the WHO this year.

In this year’s WHA Saint Lucia is represented by Honourable Dr. Keith Mondesir, Minister for Health Wellness, Family Affairs, National Mobilization, Human Service and Gender Relations.

20^th May, 2009

Press Release

One Year on: Opening Remarks of Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou

at Foreign Press Conference

Following is the opening remarks of H. E. Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), on the occasion of his first anniversary as President at the foreign press conference in Taipei on 20^th May, 2009:

Quote

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning.

Looking across the sea of faces, it heartens me to see many new faces as well as old friends.  Although we have come a long way since the last time we met on May 20th one year ago, Taiwan's new journey has just begun.  But, it makes me proud to stand here before you and say with a great certainty that this journey has started on the right path.  From the first day of my inauguration I had one grand vision for Taiwan and its people, which is to establish Taiwan at the forefront of global trends.  This means taking a responsible stake in upholding international peace and security, revitalizing our economy and re-infusing it with some of the most innovative technologies, and re-strengthening the political and social fabric of our society for the benefit of our people and those who would look to us for inspiration.  These aspirations have been the driving impetus behind my administration since the beginning. 

Our "Flexible Diplomacy" has embedded Taiwan's engagement with the rest of the world in the ideals of mutual trust, respect and responsibility.  Undoubtedly, our new approach has won the applause of the international community, which has welcomed Taiwan back into the World Health Assembly after 38 years of exclusion.  I am proud to say that this milestone is one of many this past year.  From the start I have sought to transform the underlying dynamics of Taiwan-mainland China relations.  Unilaterally, my administration announced the policy of "mutual non-denial", which is a middle road between mutual recognition and mutual non-recognition, and we declared a diplomatic truce with the Chinese mainland in the international arena.  This has paved the way to peaceful negotiations with the mainland as well as initiated the end to our diplomatic warfare in the international arena.  In truth, our policies have effectively shelved 60 years of military conflicts and political confrontations so that we can go straight to the issues that directly affect the wellbeing of our people.  We have pushed through bold initiatives that have been bottlenecked for decades such as the 3 Links with the mainland in air, sea, trade and postal services, and the liberalization of capital investments between the two sides.  At the same time, this rapprochement has reverberated beyond cross-strait relations to also benefit the entire region and all those who have a stake in it.  In one year we have transformed the Taiwan Strait from a dangerous flashpoint to a conduit for peace and prosperity.          

My administration is also concurrently bolstering our economic and political infrastructure so that Taiwan will be ready when the global economy revives.  This includes a robust economic stimulus package that will channel resources and money into the i-Taiwan 12 Infrastructure projects, which will spearhead the modernization of our logistical, transportation, information and technology infrastructures.  Undoubtedly, by doing so Taiwan will be able to fully capitalize on our advantageous geographic location and become a central hub for trade, investment and innovation in the region.  In particular, we will focus on 6 flagship industries: first of all, green energy, secondly, biotechnology, third, tourism, fourth, the medical and healthcare industry, fifth, refined agriculture, and sixth, the cultural creative industries.  On a political dimension, my administration has also worked unceasingly to fortify Taiwan's democratic institutions, especially in the protection of human rights, rule of law and the independence of the judiciary system.  We have already adopted and will fully execute the two United Nations Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as well as Civil and Political Rights.  I actually ratified the two Covenants a week ago.  Furthermore, my administration will also work to improve social welfare and education in Taiwan.  I firmly believe it is the responsibility of the government to relieve suffering, capture and cultivate potential, and build the foundation on which opportunities can thrive. 

Although in this past year we have achieved unprecedented milestones, the government is not free from criticisms.  Our mainland policies have been met with confusion and criticism from the opposition and in certain pockets in our society.  As a democratic nation, these voices should not and will not be ignored.  Therefore, my administration will work harder to communicate with the people and reach out to the opposition.  Furthermore, although the global economy is at the root of Taiwan's economic woes, this only means we must redouble our efforts to overcome these challenges.  So now standing here one year later, ladies and gentlemen, I can say that while we still have some way to go, it has nevertheless been a fruitful year where many of our challenges have been transformed into opportunities and rewards.  Taiwan has definitely set into motion the wheels towards a new future.  Thank you.

Unquote

Water!
MICAH GEORGE

This resident of the community of La Bourne in Monchy expressed the joy of the entire community last Saturday. Pipe-borne water was introduced in the community for the first time in the history of the community. With arms raised high and sheer joy plastered all over their faces the residents of this small community danced with excitement and pleasure as they witnessed a dream come true.

Just days after the main line was brought to the community almost every household have been connected, and the man who turned the dream into a reality is none other than the residents’ parliamentary representative, Lenard Montoute.

The dream came true for residents when they seemed to have given up hope that pipe-borne water would ever arrive in their community, despite promises after promises from their parliamentary representatives over the years.

Montoute, who is the Minister responsible for the nation’s youth, sports and the public service himself made such promises as well. However, he lived up to his word and with assistance from the Poverty Reduction Fund, the Taiwanese and government turned an ordinary Saturday for the residents of La Bourne into one they will not soon forget.

4^th May, 2009

Press Release

Ambassador Tom Chou Thanks PM for Helping

Taiwan to attend WHA as an Observer

According to H. E. Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yeh Chin-chuan, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan has sent a letter to formally invite Taipei to send a delegation to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) at its May 18-27 meeting in the capacity of an “observer.”  The letter, which was addressed to “the Department of Health, Chinese Taipei,” was received by Yeh at the DOH headquarters last Tuesday.  This was the first time that the DOH was invited to the WHA since the government first began seeking participation in 1997.

Upon receiving instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan, Ambassador Tom Chou immediately wrote a letter to inform the Honourable Stephenson King, Prime Minister of Sain Lucia, expressing Taiwan’s profound gratitude for the staunch support from the Government and people of Saint Lucia in the past two years for Taiwan’s appeal to participate in WHO.  Without the strong and unreserved support from all Taiwan’s diplomatic allies like Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Eastern Caribbean, the US, Japan, the European Union (EU), Canada and many other friendly countries, it would not have been possible for Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the WHO this year.

Local and foreign news media alike have trumpeted the invitation as a diplomatic victory for ROC (Taiwan).  Indeed, this turn of events signals a shift in Beijing's attitude towards Taiwan, allowing the island to participate in major international organizations, such as WHO and its accompanying annual assembly, in exchange for Taiwan's new “modus vivendi” restrained approach to international contribution.

In his inaugural address 20^th May, 2008, President Ma responded warmly to his mainland counterpart's policies with his own 16 characters in Chinese which literally mean: Respect realities, open a new future, put aside controversies, and pursue win-win.  Earlier on China’s President President Hu Jintao had unveiled his cross-strait policies in 16 Chinese characters: Build mutual confidence, shelve disputes, seek common grounds, and create win-win.  Obviously, the two leaders have found common ground; both emphasized the importance of shelving dispute and seeking win-win. 

Since May 20 last year, cross-strait relations have begun to thaw at fascinating speeds. First was the resumption of the long-suspended dialogue between two quasi-official agencies — the Strait Exchange Foundation in Taiwan and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits in China.  So far, three rounds of talks have produced a boom in cross-strait economic relations, notably the opening of direct air and shipping services for the first time in six decades, and the swarming of mainland tourists to Taiwan.

While the importance of obtaining “observer” status in an organization largely concerned with non-political matters should not be overstated, the young administration's success in gaining direct access to a U.N.-affiliated organization is nonetheless a major victory after 12 years of failed efforts.

There are limits to Beijing's newfound openness, and it isn't expected to encourage Taipei's participation in the international community anytime soon, but it has signaled that it will be more pragmatic, and less ideological, when it comes to the issue of Taiwan's role on the world stage.

And participation in the WHA is all about pragmatism.  The ROC government will soon be able to maintain direct communications with the WHO and exchange information on disease control and prevention in real time.  Previously, Taiwan had to rely on third parties, notably the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, to receive updated information and assistance when health crises broke out.   Also in the past, the WHO had to route assistance to Taiwan through Beijing, significantly delaying much needed aid.

This problem came to a head six years ago when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis spread from Hong Kong to Taiwan.  At the time of discovery, the ROC government could only rely on assistance from the CDC in Atlanta, which lacked first hand data from the outbreak's epicenter.  The WHO eventually sent a small team to Taipei to engage in late-stage information exchanges, after the local government already had a handle on the situation.

The Taiwan government is preparing to send 12 health officials, three public health experts, and no political officials to take part in the conference.  It is expected that Taiwan media reporters will be permitted to cover the WHA for the first time.

29^th April, 2009

Press Release

World Games 2009 to be Held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan July 16-26

 With less than 80 days to go in the countdown to the start of the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games, the organizers for the first time has revealed the itinerary of the grand opening ceremony scheduled for July 16, which will feature fireworks, a virtual stage and a concert featuring local and overseas stars.  Kaohsiung City, situated in the south and the second largest city in Taiwan, has a population of over 1.5 million.

 Sports not currently featured in the Olympic Games, empirically around 35 of them, deserve just as much acclaim and attention in the World Games, and all athletes should have an opportunity to compete in an international world class event.  The World Games serves as the flagship event allowing thousands of top tier athletes from different sports and different countries to come together in the spirit of sportsmanship and friendship.  Also, the world class sporting competition allows the best of the best to be recognized for their achievements.  Thousands of amateurs from across the globe will meet in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan this July.

Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu, who is president of World Games 2009 Kaohsiung Organizing Committee (KOC), has said at a news conference that although this might be her biggest challenge since she took office two years ago, she is confident the games will be a great success.

"Unlike the more competitive Olympics, the World Games focus more on the concept of friendship, community cooperation and unification that involves more people to demonstrate the special aspect of sports," Chen said.

Noting that the opening ceremony has been put together by the country's most creative professionals and technical experts in audio and lighting, Chen said the ceremony will not only demonstrate to the world that Taiwan has the strength to host a "world class mega event," but also the diversity and fascination of Taiwanese culture.   KOC Art Director Tschen Yu-chiou said the opening ceremony will be an important stage to show the country's image.

"The opening ceremony can promote Taiwan, cultural creativity and how Kaohsiung City has been reborn from an industrial city to a creative city," she said.  Renowned percussionist Ju Tzong-ching, who is serving as the games' general director, said he is honored to have the opportunity to introduce the richness of Taiwanese culture and the beauty of Kaohsiung City and that he believes the world will be deeply touched by the largest sports event of 2009.

Liu Shih-fang, managing director of the KOC, said that more than 4,000 people are involved in the opening and closing ceremonies, which will feature a projection area surpassing the scale of last year's Beijing Olympics.

In addition, the special architectural style of the main stadium will allow a rare "surround" fireworks show to be staged with sensational sound effects from precision computer control, according to the fireworks design team.

Unlike the more common "panoramic" fireworks displays, more than 3,000 fireworks will be launched in a "surround" array that will give the audiences the feeling of being right in the middle of the display, it added.

According to the organizers, New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra will be the lead performer at the opening ceremony, along with other internationally and domestically renowned artists.

Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies and events are available at all 7-Elevens convenience stores in Taiwan as of April 1, with prices from NT$75 (US$2.2) to NT$750 (US$22), while those who preorder tickets will enjoy a 20 percent discount. 

Those who are interested in getting details of the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games may visit its website: http://www.worldgames2009.tw/wg2009/eng/index.php

27^th April, 2009

Press Release

Third Talks between Taiwan and China a Success

 Three agreements were signed in Nanjing between Taiwan and China on Sunday 26^th April, laying the ground for a flow of investment and starting regular flights to further improve relations across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan’s envoy, P.K. Chiang, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), signed the agreements on financial cooperation, regular flights across the Taiwan Strait, and joint efforts to fight crime with his Chinese counterpart Chen Yunlin at the former capital of the Republic of China in the afternoon. Chen, chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), spoke before the signing, pledging more foreign direct investment in Taiwan and welcoming Taiwan entrepreneurs to invest in China.

A joint statement also said the two sides had agreed to push mainland Chinese investment in Taiwan, in part to help both sides weather the global financial crisis.  "The two sides of the Taiwan Strait face a rare and historic opportunity," the joint statement said.  It pledged that the two sides would "actively encourage and promote mainland businesses to ... invest in Taiwan to strengthen and deepen cross-strait industry cooperation and realize the normalization and systemization of cross-strait economic ties."

SEF and ARATS are quasi-governmental organizations charged respectively by the governments of Taiwan and China with the conduct of relations between the two sides of the strait.  Chiang and Chen met for the third time since President Ma Ying-jeou was inaugurated in May last year, to further ease the tensions and enhance cooperation across the strait.

Under the agreement on financial cooperation, both sides would set up a regulatory framework for financial services firms to invest and do business in each other's markets.  On-site inspection would be allowed, financial information exchanged and settlement of accounts set in place.  They also agreed to gradually establish a clearing system between the Taiwan dollar and China's renminbi currency.

Agreement was also reached in principle to allow certain forms of Chinese investment in Taiwan.  At present, no Taiwan banks, securities firms or insurance companies are allowed to open branches in China.  They will be able to sign memorandums of understanding to expand their business.  

Regular flights could start after the agreement goes into force.  They will increase to 270 weekly flights.  Currently, only 208 chartered flights are made per week.  Moreover, six airports in China would be opened to flights from Taiwan, including ones in Ningpo, Nanzhang, Zinan and Harbin.  One new air route each is allowed in the north and the south.  Direct flights will be allowed between Taiwan and Beijing, as well as Manchuria, to ease heavy air traffic over Shanghai.   Flights from Taiwan may pass the air traffic control zone of Guangzhou in the south. But no agreement was reached on Taiwan's connecting flights rights in China.

Data will be exchanged between Taiwan and China to jointly fight crime.  China would also extradite criminals wanted in Taiwan and help investigate crimes committed by Taiwan suspects residing on the Chinese mainland.  Most of the criminals and suspects are wanted for smuggling, embezzlement, dope-trafficking and money forgery.

Chiang and Chen also reviewed the agreements they signed in their previous two meetings, one in Beijing and the other in Taipei.  They also paved the way for their fourth meeting, which is likely to take place in Taipei towards the end of this year.

In particular, they agreed on the agenda of the next meeting, where they are expected to negotiate an economic cooperation framework agreement, the ECFA, between the two sides.  From Taiwan’s point of view, it is preferable that the ECFA to be signed before January 1 next year when what is known as the ASEAN-plus-One free trade zone comes into being.

Without the ECFA, Taiwan's exports to the ten member states of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the People's Republic of China will be heavily taxed. It is afraid that Taiwan will be economically marginalized in Asia.  In remarks made at the start of their meeting, Chiang stressed the urgency of the ECFA.

Taiwan has to strengthen economic cooperation with China, Chiang said. “We need cooperation with other trade partners of ours so that we are networked with world trade,” he went on, adding: “The mainland side should understand the importance of this stand of ours.”

Accompanied by a high-power, 22-member delegation, Chiang left for Nanjing on Saturday. On the delegation were several officials at the vice ministerial level like Lee Ji-chu, vice chairperson of the Financial Supervisory Commission, and Huang Shih-ming, vice minister of justice and others.

23^rd April, 2009

Press Release

Taiwan is Ready for WHO Participation

 The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has been seeking to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1997, as it is the only reliable way to ensure the health rights of Taiwan’s 23 million people.  Taiwan has also consistently set observership at the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an important goal. In addition to its diplomatic allies like Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan has succeeded in gaining firm support from the US and Japan.  The European Union (EU) and Canada have also signaled their support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the WHO, and many other countries recognize the need to include Taiwan in the global health network.

Taiwan welcomes the arrangements proposed by the WHO in January this year to include Taiwan in the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and, from a technical perspective, considers this a positive development.  However, the IHR is limited in scope to the sharing of information on epidemics and their control.  If the global public health system is to be considered complete, then Taiwan’s involvement in other issues concerning human health and welfare -- such as food safety, tobacco control and the prevention of counterfeiting pharmaceutical products-- is absolutely necessary.

The Governments of Taiwan and many countries therefore believe that the WHO must accept Taiwan’s full participation if the WHO is to realize its goal of ensuring the enjoyment of highest attainable standard of health for all.  Granting Taiwan WHA observer status is the most pragmatic and feasible way of including Taiwan at this stage.

 In 2003, an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) spread rapidly to over 27 countries within a few months, taking the lives of over 800 people.  According to a WHO research, ease of transportation between countries was the main factor facilitating the spread.  Being a key sea and air transport hub in the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan handles, on average, 3,600 international flights, 1,633 ships and 490,000 international passengers arriving or departing from Taiwan each week.  Once an outbreak happens in Taiwan, the virus can quickly spread to other countries.  Therefore, the international community must find a solution that allows for Taiwan’s full involvement in the WHO.

Although the WHO has recently made arrangements for Taiwan’s participation in IHR 2005, Taiwan considers the sharing of information on epidemics and their control as a passive measure that by itself is inadequate for protecting human health.  Only through more active measures can epidemics be prevented and eradicated, and the health of all people effectively improved.  The WHO should value Taiwan’s numerous achievements and experience in this field, and work with Taiwan to assist countries in need.

Using avian influenza vaccines to illustrate the point, Taiwan began research and development on an H5N1 vaccine in 2005.  While still in its early stages, Taiwan undertakes to share the vaccine with other countries once it enters mass production.  However, given the rapid mutation of the H5N1 virus, Taiwan must be allowed to obtain the latest strains through WHO-led international coordination, as well as conduct technical exchanges with other countries, so that the vaccine can provide comprehensive protection.  Yet Taiwan remains unable to attend related WHO intergovernmental coordination meetings, and lacks access to the latest virus information. Thus, the vaccines that Taiwan is developing might not be effective.

The WHO should welcome Taiwan’s full participation in its mechanisms, meetings and activities.  As precedents have been established for WHA observers to be invited to attend inter-governmental meetings on avian influenza and the FCTC, Taiwan believes that, at this point in time, obtaining WHA observership would be the most pragmatic and feasible step toward ensuring Taiwan’s participation in the WHO.

Over the past few decades, Taiwan has eradicated on the home front numerous transmittable diseases, such as malaria, smallpox and polio. It also has set a precedent in Asia by establishing the region’s first national health insurance system. These accomplishments were possible due to not only Taiwan’s unwavering dedication, but also generous international assistance. Taiwan now would like to reciprocate by sharing its experiences with countries in need.

Although unable to join international medical projects organized by the WHO, Taiwan has actively helped other countries upgrade their healthcare standards through a variety of measures.  For instance, Taiwan has set up Taiwan Health Centers in the Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands, and dispatched medical missions to countries such as São Tomé and Príncipe and Burkina Faso, providing them with medical services and improving their local healthcare standards.  Moreover, Taiwan has engaged in medical cooperation with Belize, El Salvador, Kenya and other countries by, for instance, providing training to their medical staff.  Taiwan’s medical teams have been dispatched to Ecuador, Myanmar, Haiti, Guatemala, Fiji, Marshall Islands and Kenya to assist in relief efforts and provide medical services to people in need. In recent years, rescue teams from Taiwan also have sped to areas devastated by natural disasters, including South Asia for the tsunami of 2004, Indonesia for the earthquake of 2005, Peru for the earthquake of 2007, and Sichuan of mainland China for the earthquake of 2008.

As Taiwan possesses advanced medical standards and desires to contribute to the international community, it should not be kept from participating in cross-border medical assistance and cooperative efforts under the WHO framework.  At the current stage, the best way to ensure Taiwan’s participation in WHO-related projects by making timely contribution is to grant Taiwan WHA’s observer status.

According to the WHO, new diseases, like SARS and avian influenza, are emerging at an unprecedented rate, revealing that the world is engaged in an uphill battle to keep pace with mutating viruses.  Moreover, globalization and technological advancements may further impact the health of human beings through an array of factors, such as climate change, the spread of unhealthy lifestyles, and easy movement of people and commodities.  As the WHO is the most influential multilateral forum that handles healthcare issues confronting the international community and is dedicated to the goal of “health for all,” it should not deprive Taiwan of the right to participate.

Granting Taiwan WHA observer status is not a political matter, but a practical one that protects Taiwan’s right to fully participate in WHO-related mechanisms, meetings and activities. Taiwan’s inclusion will benefit all parties concerned: Taiwan, the WHO and the international community.  Therefore, the Government of Taiwan calls on the world to support Taiwan’s observer status in the WHA to be held in Geneva this coming May, thereby better safeguarding the health security of all mankind.  And Taiwan is ready to play a part in it.

19^th March, 2009

Press Release

FFP lauds Taiwan's foreign aid programs in allies

A visiting charity organization from the US lauded Taiwan's efforts in the aid programs in collaboration with it in the Central American and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries that have diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan), which have proven “very effective.”

Describing the R.O.C. (Taiwan) as a “tremendous country,” Food For the Poor (FFP) President Robin Mahfood said that Taiwan not only offers practical expertise in fields such as agriculture and animal husbandry, but understands the nature of needed people in those countries.

To date, FFP and Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) , an implementation arm of the government's foreign aid schemes, have launched joint programs in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, all of which are Taiwan's diplomatic allies, according to Taiwan ICDF.  In addition, Taiwan ICDF indicated comprehensive cooperation projects are also undergoing in the English-speaking Central American and Caribbean diplomatic allies, like Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, based on government-to-government initiatives.

FFP Executive Director Angel Aloma said that the largest area of collaboration between FFP and ICDF is tilapia breeding in some of the countries, which has enabled the local children to obtain sufficient protein from the fish and avoid the common fate of malnutrition.

Also, he said ICDF's initiatives such as the guava and papaya cultivation programs in Nicaragua have succeeded in motivating the locals to become devoted and made them realize that the schemes could serve as a step away from poverty for them that would last a lifetime.

In terms of the aid works in Haiti, Aloma said Taiwan's aid packages of rice and technology were a “perfect composite, ”as rice is regarded as an immediate urgency there to support the continual of their lives, while technological assistance works for the long term in which local people learn how to help themselves and become independent.

However, as the Taiwan government announced last week that it was planning to reduce the volume of rice aid to Haiti this year due to its own poor harvest in 2008, Mahfood expressed hope that Taiwanese officials would reconsider the move, as the Caribbean country is still suffering from the traumas brought about by last year's series of natural disasters, which left the country's entire crops destroyed and local children starving.

In addition, Mahfood also talked of a potential partnership with Taiwan's companies in the solar energy industry in providing relevant products for use in FFP's aid programs such as solar outdoor lighting for villages without electricity, water pumps as well as water disinfectors.

FFP, founded in 1982, donated items worth US$1.51 billion in 2008 to the Central American and the Caribbean countries and was chosen in the same year by “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” magazine as the U.S. 's largest charity organization.

March 10th, 2009

President Ma's '3-nos' policy working

President Ma Ying-jeou of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has upheld his campaign pledge of “no unification, no independence and no war” and ruled out any prospect of peace talks with China, saying relations are too tenuous to consider discussing political or military issues at this moment.

Taiwan's strongest allies including the U.S., the European Union and Japan, its own people and even its rival in Beijing endorsed Ma's “three-nos” pledge, which helped him to win the presidency last March, defeating the then ruling DPP's candidates of pro-independence platforms.  The island's people, allies and even adversary all supported Ma's policy for status quo: a territory of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Currently on the island, there is no consensus on military and political talks with Beijing.  Before moving forward with any such a discussion with China, Taiwan must first resolve its domestic debate.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, addressing the opening session of the annual National People's Congress on 5^th March, said China is “ready to hold talks on cross-strait 'political and military issues' and create conditions for ending the state of hostility and concluding a peace agreement between the two sides.”

In his NPC address, Premier Wen clearly signaled the Chinese leadership's support for a series of economic measures that negotiators from Beijing and Taipei were already trying to work out.  These include the gradual integration of banking and other financial services accords.

“At this stage we will only talk about economic and trade issues,” President Ma's spokesman Wang Yu-chi responded immediately from the Taiwan side.

President Ma has said he wants to put aside political differences to focus on creating closer business and economic ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Since President Ma took office in May 2008, cross-strait cooperation has increased dramatically.  In just over half a year, the two sides have signed six agreements, which include deals on the normalization of air, shipping and postal links which had been disrupted for six decades.

While most say the pace of cross-strait exchanges is just right, those who say it is too fast rose from 17 percent to 37 percent between March and December last year, according to polls by the Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).

Two rounds of talks between the semi-official organizations in charge of cross-strait negotiations took place in June and November 2008.  A third is on the cards in May or June 2009. The ruling party KMT in Taiwan also held talks with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in December 2008.

Discussions about further economic cooperation have accelerated as the global economic crisis has battered both Taiwan and China.  China is Taiwan's largest trading partner, with a volume of more than US$130 billion each year.

However, Wen's overtures are unlikely to bring substantial results in the short term, given the substantial domestic political pressure on Ma from those who remain wary of Beijing's motives.

Last summer's launch of weekend direct charter flights, followed by daily flights, was expected to bring in up to 3,000 mainland visitors a day.  But the numbers have averaged only about 300 a day.

Ma has won praise for lowering the risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait.  But the Opposition’s unease with his cross-strait policy may yet grow, especially if economic benefits from China are not felt on the island soon.

Additionally, on 19 February 2009, the European Parliament (EUROPARL) carried during the plenary session, the Resolution on Main Aspects and Basic Choices of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) with its 10 amendments.  Concerning Asian affairs, the Resolution welcomes the improvement of the relations across the Taiwan Strait and expresses its support for Taiwan’s participation in the international community.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) conveys its sincere gratitude to the European Parliament and urges the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and EU member states to adopt uniform position of supporting the integration of Taiwan into the international system, in consistency with the stand of EUROPAL that represents 500 million European people.

The above-mentioned resolution reads as follows:
(The European Parliament) welcomes the significant reduction of tension in the Taiwan Straits area and the ongoing dialogue between Beijing and Taipei concerning bilateral interactions and Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations; strongly supports the Council’s declaration of 19 September 2008, which reiterates its support for Taiwan’s participation in specialized multilateral forums including the grant of observer status where Taiwan’s membership is not possible.

The CFSP Resolution echoes the statement issued by the Council of the European Union on 19 September 2008, supporting Taiwan’s participation in international and multilateral forums as an observer.  In addition, the content and spirit of the Resolution are in line with recent EUROPARL’s resolution of 5 February, which advocates the participation of Taiwan as an observer in international specialized organizations.

During the month of February 2009, the European Parliament adopted two resolutions welcoming the improvement of the cross-strait relations and its support for Taiwan’s participation in specialized international organizations including the grant of observer status.  These resolutions fully witness the good-will and friendship of EUROPARL with Taiwan.

March 3rd, 2009

Taiwan reciprocates British government’s announcement of visa-free access for Taiwanese visitors

The British government announced Feb. 9 that it will waive visa requirements for Taiwanese citizens who visit the United Kingdom on business or for pleasure for stays of up to six months, effective March 3, 2009. 

 “In response to the UK government's generosity and goodwill, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) will be extending visa-free stays for UK passport holders from the current 30 days to 90 days, beginning March 10,” Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Francisco H.L. Ou made the comment during a reception in Taipei in the wake of the United Kingdom's decision to grant Taiwanese visitors visa-free entry starting today.  Also attended was Mr. David Campbell, the head of the British Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan.

It is the most favorable visa-free treatment that Taiwan has ever provided to citizens of any country, remarked Foreign Minister Ou.

Noting that Taiwan was the only country granted visa-free treatment by Britain following a worldwide review of visa regimes carried out over the past two years, Foreign Minister Ou expressed confidence that these new reciprocal visa-waiver arrangements in place would enhance the commercial and cultural links that Taiwan and Britain already enjoy.

Also, Campbell anticipated that the new arrangement will have a big impact as more people may consider visiting the UK now that they no longer have to face the cost or inconvenience of getting a visa.  The top British official in Taiwan noted that his office has been very encouraged by the response of tour companies and airlines since the announcement was made last month.

“We believe these changes will help strengthen trade and cultural links between the UK and Taiwan and present exciting opportunities for both people and businesses,” Campbell said.

Britain is the first major European country to include Taiwan in its visa waiver program.  The move has spurred debate in other countries over whether to make a similar move, as diplomatic sources said that Germany and other Schengen Agreement countries were also considering offering visa-free treatment to Taiwan passport holders. 

“What is clear is that the UK has granted a visa exemption for Taiwanese citizens and I think that is probably going to bring members of the Schengen area to assess the situation regarding Taiwan,” said Guy Ledoux, head of the Taipei-based European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) and the top European Union (EU) representative in Taiwan in an interview with a news agency.  “I think it would be in the interest of Europe to work toward following the same path as the UK,” the de facto EU ambassador to Taiwan said, according to a news report.

Taiwan and the UK have long enjoyed solid commercial, cultural and educational ties.  Currently, the UK is Taiwan’s major trading partner in Europe.  In 2007, the volume of bilateral trade reached $6.66 billion, making the UK market Taiwan’s 17th largest trading partner, and Taiwan is the 30th largest trading partner of the UK

In addition, the UK is Taiwan’s largest investment destination in Europe as well as the 5th largest investing country of Taiwan.  The capital from the UK accounts for the 2nd largest foreign investment in Taiwan’s stock market.

In 2008, more than 40,000 Taiwanese visited the UK.  Moreover, more than 15,000 Taiwanese are studying in the UK, representing one-quarter of the Taiwan’s overall students studying abroad.  This makes the UK the second most popular destination for Taiwanese students, only after the United States.

Currently, 31 countries have granted visa-free access to Taiwanese passport-holders, including the UK, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.  The government of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) welcomes more countries across the globe, especially those in the Caribbean, to follow suit. 

Press Release from the Soufriere Town Council

On The Handing Over of Projects Funded

By The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

On Tuesday March 3^rd, 2009 a handing over ceremony was hosted by the Soufriere Town Council to hand over projects funded by the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Constituency of Soufriere. The ceremony was held at the Soufriere Primary School which incidentally was the recipient of a computer lab that was officially opened and handed over on that day.

These projects entailed:

1.      Bus Shelters

·        Fond Doux

·        Fond Gens Libres

·        Myers Bridge

2.      Drain at Baron’s Drive

3.      Repairs to the Des Bottes  road

4.      Exchange program between Martinique (St Anne’s) and Soufriere

5.      Playing field repair at Belfond

6.      Footpaths at Zenon

7.      Computer Lab for the Soufriere Primary

8.      Computers for the CARE School in Soufriere

9.      Computers for the Soufriere Infant

10.  Computers for the Les Etangs Combined

11.  Wheel chairs for the Soufriere Special Education School

12.  Scholarship to underprivileged students in the community

13.  Public bathroom facility at Baron’s Drive

The presents were well received by the community and have made an impact on the community by providing more sanitary conditions and easier access for people in the communities.

In attendance at the Ceremony was Senator Gaspard Charlemagne the minister in the Ministry of Education.  Senator Charlemagne commented that this is the second time that he has had to compliment the Soufriere Town Council on initiatives that they have taken. The first being the scholarships to the underprivileged and the second being the computers for the schools.

Senator Charlemagne however pointed out that numerous computers purchased for schools and other government projects including NSDC have been stolen over the last few months. He therefore asked the students to protect and taken ownership of their computers. It is imperative that they also make the best possible use of these computers to develop themselves as we are into a globalised world where everyone competes directly.

Ambassador Chou in his remarks stated that he has been impressed with the Soufriere Town Council’s approach and their initiatives and “his government funds two kinds of projects, Agricultural and community development and the projects of the Soufriere Town Council and definitely community development in nature.” He too also complimented the Soufriere Town Council on their work and stated that “their way should be a model to be emulated by other communities.”

The prinicipal of the Soufriere Primary, Mr. Felix Gill indicated that “the computers would help enforce the school’s reading program” and help students realize the benefits of reading.

The chairperson of the Soufriere Town Council, Anthonia Alcindor indicated that this was the culmination of the council’s work for the year and that she hopes that there is continued cooperation between the Soufriere Town Council and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the future.

4^th February, 2009

Blooming Orchid at Union Propagation Center

In addition, the nearly completed Tissue Culture Laboratory will play an essential role to propagate large quantities of high quality plantlets and seedlings of orchid and other economic produce with identical trait and standard.  At the first stage, five thousands plants of orchid have already been imported from Taiwan for the purpose of testing their suitability and viability in the ecological system of Saint Lucia, and furthermore, to explore the market potential in the entire Caribbean region.  Officials from both countries will assume the responsibility of helping local florists and farmers develop an orchid industry and an export-oriented marketing strategy with an aim to supply local and overseas market demand.

Gifted with rich biological resources, Taiwan is blessed with one of the world’s most important venues for orchid growing.  Taiwan is now the world's largest orchid exporter.  In the past two years, Phalaenopsis, which is more commonly called the “Butterfly Orchid”, had a breakthrough in sales of 80 million strains, the highest in Taiwan flower exports and ranked the first among other seedling exports worldwide, earning over EC$100 million foreign exchange for Taiwan each year.  Therefore, it is called the golden flower industry.  In the international orchid market, Taiwan seizes 50 plus percent of Phalaenopsis plants and seed sources, besides 40% of the core production technology, which means that one out of two Phalaenopsis sold on world market is “Made in Taiwan”.  That is why Taiwan has earned the title of the “Kingdom of Butterfly Orchid”

Phalaenopsis production cycle in Taiwan is highly specialized for, at different stages in the cycle, plants are taken care of by specialized farmers or companies to give production a uniform standard.  The use of automatically controlled greenhouse system can ensure the most suitable micro-environment for the optimal growth of Phalaenopsis.  At present, Taiwan's orchid industry is focus in the technological production, breeding, research and development, and disease prevention.  The establishment of Taiwan Orchid Plantation (TOP) in Tainan County combines industrial basis and biological science and technology talent.  TOP is a 200-hectare biotech science park in Tainan devoted to orchid R&D and production.  Investors can rent greenhouses or lease land to build their own facilities in the park, which is scheduled for completion in 2009.   It organizes orchid productions, breeding, trading, exhibitions, research and development, the promotion of multi-functional orchid plantation.  TOP plans to integrate the current floral production areas with the surrounding tourism and leisure resources.  

By utilizing the strengths of orchid industry potential and know-how sharing through technical cooperation between Saint Lucia and Taiwan, it is generally believed that orchid industry will soon be developed into a most profitable and competitive sector in Saint Lucia as well.

 29^th January, 2009

The National ICT Center to open

 The first National Informational and Communications Technology Center which costs about 1.5 million dollars is scheduled to officially open in Saint Lucia on Monday, 2^nd February, 2009.  It is situated at the building next to the National Library at the Derek Walcott Square in Castries.

 This National ICT Center is another major project jointly financed and supported by the Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Saint Lucia, which was initiated just a year ago when staff of the Taiwan Embassy approached the e-Government Unit under the Ministry for Social Transformation, Public Service, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports and exchanged views on the vision and strategies of developing the comprehensive e-Government portal in Saint Lucia.  Lessens have been learned from previous joint projects between Saint Lucia and other countries in the similar area for which it is deeply appreciated by the Governments of Saint Lucia and R.O.C. (Taiwan).  It is on that foundation that the new initiative was built and further incorporated ideas with an aim to provide wide range of e-service through one single government portal.

At the first phase, two systems with imminent urgency were identified to be tackled by officials from the Government of Saint Lucia and the Embassy of the R.O.C. (Taiwan). Their features are as follows:

1.      Crime Records Management System in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security.  It enables the Ministry, especially the Police Headquarters, to accurately record all relevant details of crime that occurs in Saint Lucia; it also provides a platform for collating and analyzing crime data which contains management information for strategic and tactical decision making; further, it creates an auditable record of investigative action and establish minimum standards for crime investigation; it essentially formulates a mechanism for effective supervision of individual police officer’s investigation caseload; and lastly, but not the least, it helps improve the necessary service provided to victims and their families of crime.

2.      Transport Department Licensing System in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications, Works, Transport and Public Utilities.  It features efficient and effective driver and vehicle registration and management modules; it also enables a procedure of user friendly reports making, thus it keeps detailed logs and trails of drivers and vehicles for audit purpose; it contains high-end security function to ensure information security; and most noticeably, it provides a sustainable management system for issuing drivers’ licence cards with anti-forgery design.

This Center will serve as the hub for developing further e-Government service in Saint Lucia.  Activities immediately after the National ICT Center officially open to the public include workshops, education and training programmes for civil servants and technological staff, e-Conference facilities, in addition to maintaining servers supporting both the Crime Records Management System and the Transport Department Licensing System. Both Governments of Saint Lucia and Taiwan have committed to the e-Government project by actively serving public needs, reinforcing social care, and boosting network interactions.

Taiwan ranked second in the latest online government survey by U.S.-based Brown University, moving one notch higher since the ranking previous year.  Taiwan trailed South Korea but led the other 96 countries in the study, which was conducted during June and July 2008. A total of 1,667 government Web sites were analyzed based on many criteria, including the contents of central government Web sites, disability access, the presence of privacy policies, security policies, contact information, foreign-language options, advertisement and user fees, and the number of online services.

Under a 0-100 point scoring system, Taiwan received full marks in the rating for offering online publications, announcement of privacy and security policies, and foreign-language options.  Taiwan was given a score of 58.7 in the general e-government rating, lagging behind South Korea’s 64.7 points but beating the United States’ score of 53.7 points — the top three in the annual Brown University rating.

In Taiwan more than 13 million people ages 12 and older use the Internet, and the time they spend surfing the net was found to surpass 2.4 hours a day on average.

The Internet has become one of major channels for mutual communications between residents in Taiwan and the central and local governments

23^rd January, 2009

On January 13, 2009, Steve H.S. Kuo, Director of the Centers for Disease Control of the Republic of China (Taiwan) received a letter from Dr. Bernard P. Kean, Executive Director of the Office of the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), detailing the proposed arrangements by the WHO for including Taiwan’s participation in the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR).

Concrete measures proposed in the letter from the WHO on Taiwan’s substantive participation include: 1. accepting Taiwan’s Point of Contact; 2. allowing direct communication and contact between the Contact Points of the WHO Secretariat and Taiwan; 3. providing Taiwan password to the secured Event Information Site; 4. dispatching experts to Taiwan and inviting Taiwan’s representatives to attend related WHO emergency committees in the event of any PHEIC in Taiwan; and 5. inviting Taiwan to propose a public health expert for the IHR expert roster. As for details regarding how the two Contact Points should interact and the recommendation of experts will be further discussed by Taiwan and the WHO.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) expressed welcome to Taiwan's inclusion in the IHR by describing the inclusion as "a good start" and a result of improved cross-Taiwan Strait ties, adding that the improved relations with China will also have a positive impact on Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Assembly -- the executive arm of the WHO. MOFA Spokesman Henry Chen emphasized, however, that inclusion in IHR operations fulfills only part of Taiwan's wishes, since the IHR is just a mechanism for dealing with technical matters. "Becoming a WHA observer remains the country's goal and the Foreign Ministry will pull out all the stops to gather together resources from home and abroad to achieve that goal," Chen said.

The Government of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) is of the view that these arrangements will be conducive to the inclusion of Taiwan in the global system for disseminating information on disease prevention, as well as to the direct contact between R.O.C. (Taiwan) and the WHO. It also notes that this is the first step towards the realization of the IHR’s principle of universal application and is a positive development from a technical perspective. The Government of R.O.C. (Taiwan) confirms that in the future it will continue to coordinate with the WHO so as to ensure the smooth implementation of these arrangements, from the view point of fighting against epidemics and public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

The IHR, which came into force on June 15, 2007, is a major policy promoted by the WHO. Even long before that date, Taiwan had expressed its willingness to be included in the IHR. Furthermore, Taiwan announced its voluntary adherence to IHR regulations in May 2005 despite the fact that it is neither a WHO member nor an IHR signatory. However, the WHO, which does not recognize Taiwan's sovereignty, refused to have direct engagement with Taiwan and has excluded it from the world health network.

Director Kuo of Taiwan’s CDC also echoed that the IHR is only one of the WHO’s mechanisms and is no replacement for WHA observership in ensuring Taiwan’s full participation in the WHO. Therefore, Taiwan will continue to strive to become an observer to the WHA in the nearest future.

Director Kuo elaborated that Taiwan’s formal inclusion in the implementation of IHR demonstrates that Taiwan can have direct contact with the WHO and access to first-hand information on PHEIC, such as SARS, avian flu, chemical spills and food safety. It will help Taiwan enhance its surveillance and early warning capability. If in the future a public health issue of concern to the international community occurs in Taiwan, WHO experts can come to Taiwan to provide assistance and implement related prevention and treatment measures. Likewise, Taiwan’s experts can attend WHO’s emergency committees to discuss how to prevent and control epidemics in Taiwan and other countries. This will increase our response capabilities, ensure the health security of our people, and reduce economic losses in such events.

23^rd January, 2009

US Special 301 Watch list removal

rewards Taiwan’s anti-piracy efforts

In recognition of Taiwan's efforts to protect intellectual property rights, the U.S. government removed the country from its list of Intellectual Property Rights violators Jan. 16, 2009.

"Taiwan has come a long way on this issue over the last eight years," said Sean Spicer, spokesman for the Office of the United States Trade Representative, or USTR. "In 2001, we described Taiwan as a haven for pirates. Today, the nation has strengthened its enforcement, strengthened its laws, and demonstrated a commitment to becoming a haven for innovation and creativity."

The USTR's decision to remove Taiwan from its Special 301 Watch List resulted from an "out-of-cycle" review initiated last April. It concluded that during 2008, Taiwan made further progress in improving its overall IPR enforcement climate, including betterment in the three specific areas identified in the USTR's 2008 Special 301 Report. These were the establishment of a specialized intellectual property court last July, efforts to prevent piracy on campuses and over the Internet, and the passage of amendments to the Copyright Act aimed at stopping Internet piracy.

"We should have been removed from the list a long time ago," Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-ming said Jan. 17. "The decision not only comes as a recognition of the government's long-term efforts to protect IPR, but signals a new era for Taiwan in which innovation is the key to economic development."

MOEA Deputy Minister John Deng stated that he was encouraged by the USTR's decision. "As Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and mainland China remain on the watch list, the outgoing Bush administration's decision to remove Taiwan is a sign of good will from the U.S. government," he said. "In the future, Taiwan should have more opportunities to cooperate with the United States in high value-added areas such as information technology, cultural innovation and energy."

Wang Mei-hua, director-general of the Intellectual Property Office under the MOEA, described last July's establishment of the IP court as the most important step the nation has taken to protect IPR. "Taiwan, along with Malaysia and Thailand, are just a handful of countries in the world that have functioning IP courts," she said, adding that over 700 cases had been handled by the end of 2008.

In an attempt to curb piracy of copyrighted works over the Internet, the IPO held a number of public hearings last year to collect opinions from experts and Internet service providers. In Taiwan, the draft amendments to the Copyright Act, which define ISPs' legal responsibilities and addresses IPR infringement on the Internet, were submitted to the Legislature for approval last October. "Hopefully, the amendments will be approved in the next legislative session, which is set to begin in March," Wang said.

The U.S.-Taiwan Business Council hailed the USTR announcement as an achievement Taiwan can truly be proud of. "Removing the nation from the watch list gives well-deserved recognition to Taiwan's many constructive actions, and to the government's responsiveness to concerns expressed by U.S. rights holders," council President Rupert J. Hammond-Chambers said Jan. 16.

Pursuant to the Special 301 provisions of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, the USTR is required to identify those countries that deny adequate and effective protection for IPR, or deny fair and equitable market access for persons that rely on intellectual property protection. Countries with counterfeiting and piracy problems are included on either the Special 301 Priority Watch List or the less stringent Special 301 Watch List. Taiwan was moved to the watch list from the priority watch list in November 2004 following a favorable "out-of-cycle" review by the USTR.

October 16th, 2008

Glorious October: A New Start for Taiwan

By Vanessa Shih, Minister of the Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Republic of China, the foremost established democratic republic in Asia, celebrated her 97th birthday on October 10th. A look back at our nearly 100-year history reveals many great sufferings and forced dislocations due to the chaos of war on the mainland (1912-49). With this painful experience in mind, we cherish even more the fruits of development and modernization that we have reaped in Taiwan.

You may have enjoyed the movies of Oscar-winning director Ang Lee; you may have cheered at the excellent performance of Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. Both of these celebrities are from Taiwan. You may use high-tech products like a laptop or an iPhone; these are mainly manufactured in Taiwan, the island of technology. Perhaps you yourself have not been to Taiwan, but the world’s 17th largest economy is connected to you more closely than you can imagine.

The diligence and vitality of the Taiwanese people created the economic miracle that Taiwan experienced in the 1970s. The Taiwanese spirit of compassion and generosity contributed to the achievement of democracy. In the report Freedom in the World 2008 by U.S.-based Freedom House, Taiwan was rated as possessing the highest degree of freedom both in political rights and civil liberties. Moreover, in the annual report of France’s Reporters Without Borders, press freedom in Taiwan was ranked number one in Asia. This March, Taiwan once again successfully conducted a direct presidential election and completed its second peaceful turnover of power, making Taiwan the pride of ethnic Chinese, and a model for Chinese societies, all around the world.

The new administration of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) has been in office less than half a year. In the dramatically changing circumstances of the world economy, the government is faced with both opportunities and challenges. We are working to tackle major issues with a pragmatic vision in tune with this new era. Economically, the new administration seeks to achieve institutional reform via deregulation, while simultaneously taking measures to strengthen the country’s economic fundamentals through restructuring. After taking office, leaders of the new administration immediately focused on expanding domestic consumption, revitalizing industry, and modifying tax regulations, in the hopes of rebuilding Taiwan as an “Asia-Pacific asset management center.” At the same time, the government is devoted to adopting energy saving and carbon emission reduction measures, in order to help upgrade our industries.

Socially, the new administration is dedicated to building a sound social welfare system, caring for underprivileged groups, and realizing social justice. All these aim to build a rich middle class and encourage the growth of a moderate society.

Regarding cross-Strait relations, the new government has resumed dialogue with the mainland under the principles of “shelving disputes and pursuing win-win solutions,” in the hopes of easing the tensions across the Strait and creating a new, peaceful state of affairs.

Diplomatically, we have switched to a principle of “flexible diplomacy.” We have been working to safeguard the sovereignty of the R.O.C.; to consolidate our diplomatic ties; and to improve bilateral relations, particularly those devoted to rebuilding the mutual trust between Taiwan and the U.S. We have also been working towards the establishment of a “Taiwan-Japan special partnership,” as well as eagerly participating in international organizations and serving as a “responsible stakeholder” in global security affairs.

In his inaugural speech on May 20th, President Ma Ying-jeou said that he hopes to be a peacemaker between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, under the principles of “no unification talks with the mainland, no creation of an independent Taiwan republic, and no use of force to settle sovereignty issues.” His plan includes resuming negotiations, easing restrictions on cross-Strait investment, and opening up to mainland visitors via regular weekend direct charter flights, the last of which began on July 4. Taipei and Beijing have plans to discuss issues regarding increased cross-Strait charter flights, cargo flights, and new flight routes by the end of this year, with the goal of achieving peace and co-prosperity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. As cross-Strait solutions progress, we shall follow the principles of “put Taiwan first and work for the interests of the people,” and continue to defend Taiwan’s dignity, rights, and wellbeing.

The Republic of China has survived many trying and challenging times in our history. We have relied on our brave, resolute, diligent, and practical “Taiwan Spirit” to overcome obstacles and struggle forward. This has helped Taiwan transform successfully from an agricultural society into the world’s pivotal information giant; from an authoritarian regime into a free democracy. It is a great achievement of which we are proud. In the future, we will continue to forge ahead with self-confidence and courage, while working towards a global system that strengthens the links between Taiwan and the international community. With Taiwan’s vibrant democracy, flourishing culture, and admirable economic development, we are confident that we will win international respect and recognition.

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