President Chen Shui-bian (
Some say that he is leaving the country as part of his election campaign, that he is exporting it and then re-importing it again. Some Taiwanese diplomats think Chen is full of confidence regarding the March 20 election next year, and therefore only follows already made plans. He has invited the three chairmen of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs Committee to accompany him, but the two chairmen from the blue camp, in a deliberate boycott of Chen, turned the invitation down.
Chen's schedule includes three days in the US (two nights in New York, and then one night in Alaska on the way back to Taiwan) and two nights in Panama. Some people are ridiculing him about this, saying that he is visiting the US and just passing through Panama.
Due to extraordinary activities in New York, including the acceptance of a human rights award from the International League for Human Rights, where he also gave a speech, it is predicted that Beijing will lodge a serious complaint with the US government.
The louder China protests, the more Chen's every move during the trip will be noticed and reported by the media, which is helpful to increasing Taiwan's visibility internationally. This script has already been played out many times, and China is certain to play along yet again.
This is the third time Chen traveled to the US since he became president. In New York, he received the 35th International Human Rights Award from the International League for Human Rights. This is a significant breakthrough. Led by Chen, Taiwan has voted the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) out of government and the nation has won the appreciation of all circles of US society, including the US government. After he received this award, which he fully deserves, it became an impossibility that China's President Hu Jintao (
The International League for Human Rights is a fairly well-known human rights organization in the Western world. For several decades it has spared no effort to promote human rights internationally.
In the past, it has presented its award to internationally well-known fighters for democracy and human rights, such as former Czech president Vaclav Havel, former South African president Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Some blue camp legislators here in Taiwan have smeared the reputation of the organization in the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs Committee, saying that it is controlled by proponents of Taiwanese independence. This has been accompanied by China-friendly newspapers that have actually given wide coverage to such ignorant, laughable opinions. Fantastic indeed.
While in New York, Chen is scheduled to have dinner with several Democrat and Republican senators and house representatives to further discuss the idea that the two countries should continue to strengthen cooperation in specific areas, such as free trade agreements and accession to international organizations.
He will also work to win their support for the democratization of Taiwan by holding referenda and initiating the creation of a new constitution. He will further meet with big US industrialists to encourage them to invest in Taiwan. When the people of Taiwan see Chen carrying out these activities, they will understand and approve of his efforts to improve Taiwan's diplomacy and economy, as well as his efforts to implement a variety of reforms.
Chen is visiting Panama to participate in the country's 100th anniversary of its founding. Panama has invited many heads of state and government leaders to join in this celebration. Chen can look forward to three opportunities to meet with these leaders, possibly including US Foreign Secretary Colin Powell, during the mass assembly this afternoon, at the signing ceremony of the Panama Centennial Statement and at the dinner reception. We hope that he will be able not only to shake Powell's hand, but that the two will be able to hold talks behind closed doors, where they will exchange a wide range of ideas on the East-Asian situation and promote relations between the US and Taiwan.
Panama is an important diplomatic ally of Taiwan. Chen will also participate in an official ceremony to exchange documents concerning the free trade agreement between the two countries, which has already been passed by both countries' parliaments.
Panama is the first country with which Taiwan has signed a free trade agreement, and it will therefore serve as a benchmark for other countries. I hope that the people of Taiwan will use Panama as a bridge for investing in the US and South America.
Panama and Taiwan have both experienced colonialism, and the two countries therefore hold the same opinion regarding the protection of national independence, opposition to colonial rule and pressure from the great powers. The two countries should cooperate to realize their common ideals and interests.
Parris Chang is a DPP legislator.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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