On Oct. 10, the nation celebrated its national day, which was capped with a speech by President Chen Shui-bian at the Office of the President. The following is a translation of the president's address, edited for length and style.
Today marks the 95th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan). With reverent yet joyous hearts, we are gathered here to welcome and celebrate this glorious day and to wish our nation a happy birthday.
In the past few months, I have had opportunities to pay visits to local communities in order to come into direct, intimate contact with this land, and to listen to people's truest voice. Whether it was having a friendly chat with elderly farmers out in the fields or under a tree, or showing my concern for elderly people and children living on offshore islands or in remote villages without families to care for them, or engaging in discussions with small and medium-sized business operators in industrial zones, I have learned that, although the issues they were concerned about may have differed, they were of one heart in wishing the best for Taiwan. They wished Taiwan the best not only with respect to furthering its presently enjoyed freedom, democracy, peace and prosperity, but also with regard to safeguarding the right of its 23 million people to be the masters of their own destiny.
According to the Freedom in the World 2006 report recently published by Freedom House, in the two main categories of political rights and civil liberties, Taiwan is a "free" country on a par with the United States and Japan, and in the subcategory of freedom of speech and religion, Taiwan received the highest possible score. This great honour is the result of the long-term striving and struggling of Taiwan's people, and is the most precious asset Taiwan has for asserting its place in the international community.
Under the authoritarian system of the past, not only were the people deprived of freedom of speech, but freedom of the press was also subjected to tight control and oppression. During the three years following the lifting of martial law, from 1988 to 1990, the number of politically related magazines and books that were banned and confiscated came to 284,243 copies. During the martial law era, the number of publications banned and confiscated by the Taiwan Garrison Command of course exceeded this amount by many hundreds of times.
This government, therefore, has always striven to maintain an ever-forbearing attitude with respect to the freedoms of speech, the press, publication and assembly in hopes of liberating Taiwan's people from the spiritual shackles that have bound them. The government has done so not only to enable the people to dare to speak, but to ensure the protection of every person's right to truly speak his or her mind and express views different from those of others.
In the past, there was no freedom, so we struggled to get freedom. In the past, we were oppressed by the political system, so we opposed the system. But today's Taiwan is a democratic nation. Besides seeking freedom, we must also consolidate the rule of law, accept the responsibilities associated with that, and work together to sustain our system of democratic, constitutional government. Political disagreements or disputes should be handled in accordance with constitutional procedures and the provisions of laws. In cases that involve judicial action, the judiciary's independence in conducting investigations and trials must be respected. This is both a basic tenet of democracy as well as its core value.
While others may advocate resorting to mechanisms that circumvent the political system or transcend the Constitution in order to further their political goals, the president is bound by his office to uphold the Constitution. Defending the constitutional system and maintaining the stability of the nation and society are duties that the president cannot shirk. They are also the strictest demands placed upon him by the people.
As Taiwan marches toward becoming a normal democratic country, we cannot neglect or try to escape the need to re-evaluate our past history. Whether with respect to assigning responsibility for harm caused during the authoritarian era, continuing to dismantle the party-state system, enhancing the quality of the multiparty political system or rehabilitating the legitimacy and reasonability of the constitutional system, our society needs to undertake deeper reflection on and assessment of these issues. By no means is this an attempt to settle old scores or stir up hatred. Only by bravely facing up to the past will we truly be able to soothe our injuries, bridge the rifts between us, and mark past episodes with a decisive period, so that we can begin to write a new chapter.
While divergent views of national identity can co-exist, the nation must not be allowed to break apart. Regardless of whether one arrived, or one's ancestors arrived, in Taiwan before or after 1949, and regardless of whether one is a recent immigrant or child of a recent immigrant, everyone who has come to this land to start a new life is a member of our big family, even though we may have differing ideals or sentiments for our original homelands. As the children of an oceanic nation, let us open our hearts to each other, put ourselves in each other's shoes and support each other. Let us transform identities based on ethnicity, bloodline, and historical sentiment into an identity based on the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and peace. And let us thereby mold a new sense of national community that can be shared by the 23 million people of Taiwan.
As an oceanic, island nation, Taiwan's potential for national development can be cultivated only through external economic and trade links and international cooperation. Sound self-defense capabilities, a stable international environment, and peace in the Taiwan Strait are the essential foundations on which Taiwan will be able to ensure its survival and steadily pursue its development.
There has been no large-scale military conflict in the Taiwan Strait for almost 50 years now. The all-important turning point was Taiwan's victory in the 1958 Battle of the Taiwan Strait, which allowed Taiwan to fend off danger, ensure peace, and lay the foundation for its future survival and development. We must never forget that bloody lesson: A robust national defense capability is our only shield and our only assurance of securing lasting peace.
Until this very day, however, China has never renounced its objective of annexing Taiwan by force. In recent years, it has ceaselessly deployed ballistic missiles along its southeast coast targeted at Taiwan. There are more than 800 such missiles at present, which is four times the number in 2000. China also continues to augment training and preparations to launch a war against Taiwan, scheming to utilise military intimidation and threats to achieve its goal of forcing Taiwan to surrender without having to fire a shot.
Here, once again, I earnestly call upon the opposition parties to expedite and complete their reviews of all major military procurement bills so that the nation's armed forces can finish upgrading their armaments and enhance their combat preparedness as soon as possible. Moreover, only by doing so will we have the substantive power and bargaining chips needed to engage in consultations and dialogues with China. Our investment in national defense is intended neither to spark an arms race with China nor to aggravate cross-strait tensions. Rather, it is an investment in peace, security, and stability. Only by possessing a strong self-defense capability can the outbreak of war effectively be prevented and lasting peace in the Taiwan Strait be achieved.
In recent years, China has continually resorted to dollar diplomacy and money politics to squeeze and limit Taiwan's international space. In face of this new challenge and condition, Taiwan is not willing, nor has it the need, to engage in a foreign-aid contest.
We need new ideas and approaches, and must make democracy, human rights, and humanitarian concerns the basis of our future diplomatic efforts. In addition to consolidating our diplomatic allies, we should take further steps to establish a values-based alliance with the global community of democracies. Further, we should utilise multilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as summits with the leaders of our diplomatic allies in Latin America, Oceania and Africa, as well as through the Democratic Pacific Union to deepen Taiwan's bilateral relations with each of its allies. Programs designed to promote mutually profitable trade and enhance humanitarian assistance can also help us succeed in creating reciprocal regional advantages and shared prosperity. Thereby, Taiwan will be able to play a more positive, constructive role in the international community, and to open up new diplomatic vistas more energetically.
As to the development of cross-strait relations, this surely cannot be confined to the mere interactions within the narrow framework of Taiwan-China relations. We must broaden our scope of action and expand our field of vision to the comprehensive level of the evolution of international political and economic dynamics.
Following upon the success of its policy of economic reform and opening up to the outside world, China's overall national power, especially its military power, has grown rapidly, giving rise to widespread misgivings in the international community. Although Beijing has repeatedly claimed that this process is a "peaceful emergence," most nations of the world perceive it as a threat.
Without democracy, there is hardly any prospect of peace. China is a totalitarian state that persists in its hostility toward freedom, democracy and human rights. As long as China fails to democratise, the basic nature of this threat will never change, and relations between China and the world, including Taiwan, cannot possibly be normalised.
No matter how lively the economic and trade relations and the movements of peoples are between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, as long as China continues to be ruled by a one-party dictatorship, the obstacles and barriers standing between the two sides can never be eliminated, and it will be extremely difficult to achieve any genuine, significant breakthrough in the basic nature of cross-strait relations. Constructing a meaningful, substantive relationship will be possible only if China's leaders adopt the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and peace to create a language shared by both sides of the strait and, based on this language, cooperate in developing a framework of interaction for peace and stability.
In closing, let me wish the Republic of China (Taiwan) a happy birthday. May our great nation enjoy peace and everlasting prosperity. To all of our distinguished guests, fellow citizens, and colleagues, may you enjoy good health and success in all of your endeavours. And may God bless Taiwan.
Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes, president of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, arrived in Taiwan Oct. 9 for a four-day visit. Menezes led a 14-strong delegation that included Delfim Santiago das Neves, minister of public works and infrastructure; Justino Tavares da Veiga, minister of justice and parliamentary affairs; Armindo Vaz Rodrigues Aguiar, minister of public administration, state reform and territorial administration; and members of parliament from the country's three major political parties.
ROC President Chen Shui-bian received Menezes at a state dinner at the Taipei Guest House Oct. 9. In a speech before the banquet, Chen expressed his heartfelt respect and gratitude to Menezes, as well as to the government and people of São Tomé and Príncipe, for their long-term support of Taiwan. At the General Debate of the 61st United Nations General Assembly Sept. 20, Menezes urged the United Nations to allow Taiwan to participate in the world body, once again showing his consistent support for Taiwan, Chen added.
During his stay, Menezes exchanged views with Chen on African affairs, bilateral relations and cooperative programs between the two countries. Menezes attended the ROC National Day festivities on Oct. 10 and met James Huang, the ROC minister of Foreign Affairs, while the members of his delegation visited places like the Department of Health, the Construction and Planning Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, and the Neihu Sewage Treatment Plant. Menezes and his delegation left Taiwan on Oct. 12. Before their departure, Chen held a farewell ceremony with a military parade just outside the Office of the President to say goodbye to his guests.
In related news, The national football team of São Tomé and Príncipe arrived in Taiwan Oct. 16 led by Maria de Fátima Leite de Sousa Almeida, minister of education, culture, youth and sport, and João Manuel Da Costa Alegre Afonso, president of the country's Olympic Committee. They visited the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee as well as several cultural and sporting establishments.
The highlight of their tour was a friendly Oct. 18 soccer match between São Tomé and Príncipe and the Chinese Taipei soccer team, which hopes to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games. The Taiwanese team tied their guests with a score of 2:2.
President Chen Shui-bian and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated Ban Ki Moon on being appointed as the next secretary-general of the United Nations, according to a news release posted on the MOFA Web site.
Ban, a career diplomat and the current foreign minister of Republic of Korea, was unanimously approved by the General Assembly Oct. 13 to succeed incumbent Kofi Annan. Ban's term as leader of the world body will last five years starting Jan. 1, 2007. Mere hours after Ban was appointed, Chen and Foreign Minister James Huang sent letters of congratulation to Ban and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun.
According to MOFA, Ban is familiar with the situation in the Taiwan Strait, and as a South Korean, he likely knows very well how the Taiwanese people feel living under the constant threat of attack by a belligerent communist neighbour.
Ban delivered a speech after accepting his appointment. "As Secretary-General, I will make the most of the authority invested in my office by the Charter and the mandate you give me. I will work diligently to materialise our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of humanity and for the peaceful resolution of threats to international security and regional stability." MOFA officials signaled their agreement with Ban's comments, adding they expected him to help maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the whole East-Asian region.
Meanwhile, John Chen, director general of MOFA's Department of International Organisations, said in an interview with the ROC Central News Agency Oct. 12 that Taiwan included the issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula in its peace proposal submitted to the United Nations last September as part of its bid to participate in the world body. In the proposal, Taiwan urged the United Nations to play a more active role in maintaining peace in East Asia, he added.
In the wake of the North Korean nuclear test, Chen said that Taiwan is a peace-loving country, which spelled out a "five-noes" policy against nuclear arms in 2002. This was a promise that there would be no development, no production, no stockpiling, no acquisition and no deployment of nuclear weapons. The policy remained in place today, he pointed out.
In related news, MOFA stated that, even though Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, the country would nevertheless abide by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, condemning North Korea for its nuclear detonation and imposing stiff sanctions on the communist government.
As a member of international community, Taiwan endorses and affirms the resolution, and will take measures such as export controls against North Korea, said the MOFA press release. As an Asia-Pacific country, Taiwan has called for peaceful solutions to the problems of the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula, MOFA added.
The ROC government urged North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear or missile tests, to follow the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and to accept the safeguards offered by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Taiwan's economic performance and the potential development of local markets have long attracted overseas investment. Targets for foreign investors currently include growing industries such as the broadband communications, nanotechnology and biotech sectors, said Warwick Smith of Macquarie Bank Ltd. at the 2006 Taiwan Business Alliance Conference Oct. 12, according to the semi-official Central News Agency.
Held at the Taipei International Convention Center and organised by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the TBAC was aimed at introducing international businesspeople to Taiwan's investment environment and economic conditions. An overture to a full 12 months of related activities to be held both in Taiwan and overseas, the conference kicked off with an award ceremony at which Economics Minister Chen Ruey-long praised AIG, Citigroup, Corning Display Technologies Taiwan, DuPont Taiwan, IBM Taiwan and Kuozui Motors for their investments in Taiwan. These six winners of the Best Investment Partner Award "have made such a vital contribution toward employment in Taiwan as well as to the development and upgrading of our industries," local media reported Chen as saying.
In his speech to the conference, Smith cited Taiwan's solid performances over the previous year, which included posting the world's third-largest foreign exchange reserves and its prosperous domestic trade figures, said CNA. He also mentioned that Taiwan's total export value for the last quarter of 2005 was large enough to counterbalance the island's sluggish domestic demand. Looking at the growth in export volume so far this year, Smith was sanguine about domestic demand.
According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, the nation's export value in September hit a record monthly high, topping US$20 billion. Posting year-on-year growth of 20.3 percent, electronic, steel, optoelectronic and precision machinery products represented 82 percent of exported items.
Smith also predicted that Taiwan's gross domestic product would rise by more than 4 percent over the year, according to CNA.
Taiwan's favourable investment environment drew Macquarie, Australia's largest investment bank, to purchase Taiwan Broadband Communications, which has the third-largest share of the Asian market. This acquisition was predicted to help Macquarie extend its services to 90,000 broadband users and 650,000 cable TV customers.
Another conference participant, Edward King of Morgan Stanley's merger and acquisition department, also expressed optimism about the domestic market, reported CNA. King mentioned that foreign-owned banks were still looking for M&A targets, which could enable local companies to expand while also offering them international business management techniques and their customers access to a wider variety of overseas financial products.
Citing the merger between Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair, King claimed that M&A could enhance production capacity and lower costs. He also said that M&A had become a growing trend within the banking industry, pointing to London-based Standard Chartered Bank's recent tender offer to buy Hsinchu International Bank.
Asked about Morgan Stanley's own plans to invest in Taiwan, a company spokesperson declined to comment, however.
Also at TBAC, Chen was reported as welcoming foreign investment in Taiwan, adding that the government's development fund could provide assistance worth up to 20 percent of capital for investments in local industries.
The evolution of Taiwanese cinema demonstrated the many mutations and developments of its ongoing crystallization into new forms spanning many genres at the Taiwan Film Festival held recently in London. As Taiwan Journal contributor Mike Murphy sees it, Taiwan cinema, in its many hybrid guises, has been molded by innovative artists intent on discovering opportunities to create unique images of a unique land and culture.
The Taiwan Film Festival was held in London, England Sept. 14-17 to showcase the work of six contemporary filmmakers from the island. In addition to screenings of modern Taiwan cinema, a symposium titled Taiwan Cinema Today examined the current state of the Taiwanese film industry as it struggles to operate in an environment of free trade. It was a timely opportunity for London's cinema fans to familiarise themselves with contemporary Taiwanese film. The intriguing collection of movies included features, documentaries and animations, with subject matter ranging from rice farming to Chinese mythology.
The rise of Taiwanese cinema on the international art-house circuit has brought with it a string of accolades and glowing praise for its singular vision and innovative constructions. In a poll of international film critics assembled by the Village Voice and Film Comment, Hou Hsiao-hsien was voted director of the decade for the 1990s. Writing in the Village Voice, film critic James Hoberman proclaimed that "Taiwan is home to some of today's finest working filmmakers--and in the case of Hou Hsiao-hsien, one of the finest ever."
This flourishing of Taiwan's fortunes as a hotbed of cutting-edge cinema over the last 25 years has resulted in reserved spots for these movies at premier film festivals around the world. London is a city famed for its cinema culture and film aficionados who appreciate innovative talent. The collection of Taiwanese films provided a window on the remarkable film culture of Taiwan that has spawned so many works of exquisite beauty and talent. In addition, they provided a portal into a land and culture that is hidden away from British people behind a curtain of geopolitics and diplomacy.
Taiwan's art-house films have flourished on the international stage, with Britain's The Guardian newspaper enthusing, "This is connoisseur's cinema--but it's a connoisseurship worth cultivating." Still, the film industry has struggled to survive in the world of free-trade agreements. In the 1970s, Taiwanese film production equalled that of Hong Kong and had a strong appeal across Asia. Currently, only about 10 films are produced each year on the island, and the screenings of this homegrown cinema equates to around 5 percent of the total number of films at local cinemas.
Director Tsai Ming-liang, who is largely financed by French capital and is a popular figure on the international stage, was so moved by the decline in local interest in Taiwanese film that he would go to cinema box offices and hand out leaflets and postcards urging people to come and watch his films. He routinely burst into tears in front of an astonished public as a response to the perilous state of the Taiwanese film industry. The mainstream industry certainly has a battle on its hands in competing for the attention of local audiences, whose affections have been coaxed by the large influx of foreign movies.
Nevertheless, Tsai harbours an exuberant passion and is optimistic about the future of the industry: "Creatively we're at a very high point Taiwanese film began to develop its own style without any political influences with Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, all the way to us. Now that it's come to us, we feel strongly that film is very much from our personal heart. Of course, we have never forsaken the audiences. I think we're searching for a narrative style that is different from Hollywood, different from Hong Kong and different from our predecessors in Taiwan cinema. It starts with me saying I want to give the audience not what they want, but something different."
Documentary film is a genre that has been flourishing in Taiwan. While the art-house films continue to receive the cold shoulder from local audiences, who prefer to spend their ticket money on Hollywood blockbusters than films that examine the sublime viscitude of modern life in Taiwan, locally made documentaries have proven to be an unexpected hit. Taiwanese viewers have been enthralled by recent productions aired on the weekly television program "Viewpoint." The budgets required to produce these films are low in comparison to the expenses involved in producing a scripted feature.
Moreover, this has led to an interesting crossover between the genres, exemplified by "Fishing Luck" director Tseng. This cross-fertilization has undoubtedly led to a new direction in the way documentaries are produced and shot. "Jump! Boys" is one of two documentaries screened in London, and its director Lin Yu-hsien was originally trained as a feature filmmaker. In this film, Lin focuses his inquiring eye on his older brother, who is a gymnast and coach, and the camera gazes at the relationships between the coach and his seven male gymnast students.
Another recent documentary that received wide release in Taiwan, "The Last Rice Farmers," is an exploration of the lives of four farmers in Tainan County. Over a span of 15 months, its directors and their camera crew followed the unlikely stars of this surprisingly successful film as they live the traditional patterns of a lifestyle that has defined the local community's existence for ages, yet is disappearing with the probing influence of 21st-century modernity.
In a rapidly shifting world of increasing uncertainty, there might be an expectation that this insecurity would increase the demand for escapist features. "Chocolate Rap" director Lee believes that the opposite may be true: "When people feel they need to get in touch with reality, they go to see documentaries. I don't know how long this phenomenon is going to continue. I guess as long as people live with an uncertain future, this genre will be strongly demanded."
Back to scripted features, many of the reviews that have greeted the U.K. release of "Three Times" have suggested that the work of director Hou has achieved the status of golden dragon. His style of imagery continues to receive rapturous praise from film critics in Britain who have been enthralled by this triptych-structured work. Actress Shu Qi and actor Chang Chen are cast as lovers in three different time periods, and their emotional entanglements are explored through the use of different cinematic languages. The film has already proven popular in art-house cinemas throughout London, and the singular stylistics of the film paint a flattering picture of Taiwan.
The popularity of animation is a well-embedded expression of modern pop culture in Taiwan. The genre was represented at the festival by "Monkey King," an interpretation of the Chinese tale "Journey to the West" about the monk Hsuan Tsang who travels to India in search of Buddhist scriptures. This film was awarded Best Animation Feature at the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival last year. Director Wang Toon, who has been described as one of the most prolific and influential filmmakers working in Taiwan today, has directed 13 films and acted as art director on more than 100 other productions. This is his first animated work in a 30-year career.
As chairman of another film festival in Taipei, Wang said that he enjoys seeing young people attend. He described this year's festival as a "butterfly that has reached maturity." He hopes that by its 10th year, the festival will have metamorphosed into a golden dragon. Noble sentiments indeed, and for cinephiles in London and elsewhere around the globe, similar feelings are felt regarding the continued evolution of the nation's cinematic tradition.