Vice President Annette Lu (
Lu announced that the Democratic Pacific Assembly will convene in Kaohsiung on March 1. She hopes that the assembly solidifies the powers of the democratic countries in the region to promote political democracy and to shape economic and trade agreements, facilitating a new era for Pacific Rim countries in Asia in the 21st century.
Lu indicated that mankind is over-exploiting and depleting natural resources. The union proposed by Lu could become the new source of world economic momentum. Lu further revealed the three characteristics of the Democratic Pacific Assembly. First, its membership reaches the entire Pacific region. Second, it endeavors to make the Asian-Pacific region attractive to countries all over the world in the 21st century. Finally, all the participants would share their democratization experiences, foster economic and trade cooperation, and create brand new values.
At a time when the curtain has just been raised on the 21st century stage, Lu's proposal is innovative and forward-looking. In particular, next year marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Dutch in Taiwan. The Dutch had chosen Taiwan because Taiwan was already an international trade operation center and the regional center of commercial shipping at the time. As early as four hundred years ago, Taiwan already had what it took to become a superior oceanic state.
However, in the past 50 years, Taiwan's goal has been to unify with China, ignoring its own advantages as an oceanic state. In fact, this created a crisis in which Taiwan was subject to the draw of China's economy.
This century is the century of the Pacific. Taiwan must set its sights far and high and realize its own central position in the Asian-Pacific Region, so that Taiwan could further serve an even more constructive purpose -- the anchor of regional security. Taiwan should use this opportunity to seriously re-examine its own role and future path.
The international community must realize that Taiwan is not a "trouble maker." The real "trouble maker" is China, the communist dictatorship that is targeting Taiwan with more than 400 missiles. Taiwan has neither the ability nor the potential to provoke China, let alone make any trouble. Any propaganda and irresponsible discourse that simply dance to the tune of China are helping to destabilize the region.
Hopefully, friends from the region taking part in the upcoming Democratic Pacific Assembly will use the opportunity to help study and search for a future path for Taiwan, so that through its outstanding development experience Taiwan will be able to serve as a exemplary model for the region. It is hoped that these foreign friends can thereby contribute their wisdom to regional political democratization and prosperous economic development. The best of luck to the assembly and to the establishment of the "democratic Pacific union."
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