Taiwan's economic achievement remains a driving force for the promotion of economic development in the Pacific region, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday.
Making the remarks in his opening speech at an international conference held by the Taipei secretariat of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee (PECC), the president said that Taiwan could play an active role promoting economic development in the Pacific region.
Chen told his audience he had repeatedly mentioned the importance of establishing the Pacific Economic Community because democracy, economy and prosperity are not just universal values, but also three pillars supporting such an organization.
"That's why Taiwan, as part of the Pacific Ocean community, cannot be absent from the process of setting up the Pacific Economic Community," he said.
Taiwan has been promoting the establishment of the Pacific Economic Community for more than a decade in a bid to unite economies in the region to pursue joint interests.
Chen yesterday praised the importance of the PECC, saying that the committee should become a bridge between the nation and the Pacific Economic Community.
"Taiwan's democratic achievement and economic development are the 23 million Taiwanese people's common valuable assets, which connects Taiwan and the world," Chen said.
He said that Taiwan, a country in a diplomatic plight, has to take advantage wisely of the platforms presented by international organizations or NGOs in a bid to contribute to the world.
Taiwan has been a member of PECC for 20 years (under the name "Chinese Taipei") and actively participating in related affairs had been one of main focuses for the country's diplomatic affairs, according to Chen.
Citing a survey released last week by the Government Information Office, which was commissioned the US-based Gallup Organization to study Taiwan's image among opinion leaders and the general public in the US, Japan, France, Germany and the UK, Chen said that more than half of the respondents had favorable impressions of Taiwan.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese