Representative Wu had an extensive career in Taiwanese Domestic Politics and International Relations before he was appointed Taiwan's chief representative in the United States last April. Dr. Wu was one of Taipei's top China policy officials, serving as Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council in the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's executive branch of government. He has also held the post of Deputy Secretary General to President Chen Shui-bian. His experience for international politics includes the post as Deputy Director of the Institute of International Relations at the national Chengchi University. And as an author of numerous books on topics as Taiwanese political development, cross trades relationships and the history of divided nations. As Taiwan's chief representative in the United States he currently leads Taipei's efforts to maintain the level of support which Taiwan has traditionally enjoyed in Washington in spite of increasingly complex international realities and the People's Republic of China's economic and political rise. Please join me in welcoming his Excellency Dr. Joseph Wu. Well, thank you very much George for the introduction. I am delighted to be here at the Northern California World Affairs Council, to share with you some of my observations and understandings of Taiwan's domestic situation, Taiwan-US relations and the cross road relations. George mentioned about the this event as part of series on Eastern Asia democratization. And Taiwan happens to a new democracy in East Asia. I still remember quite vividly that when I was going to college in Taiwan, Taiwan was still under Martial Law. And there were some occasions where college students tried to have a couple of beers and after a couple of beers the tongue started to get loose and then we started to talk about politics at those days. And then usually what happen afterward was that we get threatened, we get warned by the school authorities, by the secret police and things like that. And since I was in a family where one of my close family members being arrested and sentenced to 12 years without any reason, so you know, those kinds of they just tend to get me very scared. So after after one of those events, when I walked on the street in Taiwan, I had to keep looking back to see that there is nobody following me, to make sure that I am not going to disappear from the street scene. Those were the good old days where things were certain. Those were the good old days where we don't have to determine our own future. It was the authoritarian leaders who determined our future. But luckily the Taiwan people worked very hard to help the democratization in Taiwan coming true. But I don't think its Taiwan people alone who brought the reality of Taiwan's democracy. It was the United States, the US government and the US people who helped Taiwan relentlessly. Even in 1979, the year I came to the United States for higher education; that was a year when the Taiwan Relations Act was passed. The Taiwan Relations Act was passed by the Congress of the United States in order to safeguard Taiwan's security, in order to maintain a normal but unofficial relation with Taiwan. And I got a copy of that Taiwan Relations Act with me today, to show you how much we appreciate the American support of Taiwan's democratization and let me read "Nothing contained in this act show counter viewing the interest of the United States in human rights, especially with respect to the human rights of the approximately 18 million inhabitants." It was 18 million at that time, now it's 23. The preservation and the enhancement of human rights of all the people on Taiwan are here by reaffirmed as the objective of the United States. And at those days in those days the US government officials together with the US Congressmen and many people who advocate democracy and freedom at those days, tried to help the Taiwan people to establish democracy. To help Taiwan people do advance liberalism and freedom. And finally in 1986, Taiwan was able to get rid of the Marshal Law that ran for 38 years. In the very next year the first genuine opposition party, now the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party was formally established and a couple of years later a Taiwanese being elected into the presidency and then in 1991, the law or the constitutional law part of our constitutional law called emergency decree was being abolished by the newly elected president President Lee Teng-hui. And that gave the basis for re election of Taiwan's Parliament, including the Legislative Yuan and the National Assembly. And therefore that marked the very beginning of Taiwan's democratization and then Taiwan marched on the road of no return of democratization. In 1996, we had the first direct presidential election. And people held Taiwan as genuine democracy. And we have free and open and you know, free and fair and periodical elections ever since then. And I think Taiwan has become a full democracy. And we are rather proud of it. And I am sure the American people, American Congressmen and American administrations are all very proud of it, because this is the product of their policy towards freedom and democracy. But after Taiwan attained freedom and democracy, somehow something become not very right in between Taiwan and the United States. I think in the first classes, when I took the PhD degree in Ohio State University., the professors at the courses on democratization started to tell us that democracy means uncertainty. Certainty is only associated with those authoritarian regions. And therefore when Taiwan becomes democratic, there is something hard to control in Taiwan and the people feels that they have to exert their own assertions. People feel that they have to talk about their own destinations and therefore all kinds of political views in Taiwan are being protected under our constitution. People are free to evocate what they want to say, and what they want to believe and that was democracy. And that became some of the problems in between Taiwan and the United States. And the source of that problem actually is not the United States who does not like uncertainty. Actually the source of problem is because China does not want to see Taiwan feels the way it wants to feel, or Taiwan people want to determine their own future. China wants to incorporate Taiwan. China wants to see Taiwan become part of China. And that's the source of the problem. And I think in recent years, especially after the "anti cessation law" was adopted by the national people's congress in March 2005; we started to see so many incidents that China want to suffocate Taiwan internationally, that China wants to squeeze Taiwan out of international politics and out of international arenas altogether. And I can read you just some of the examples to show you how extreme China is willing to go to squeeze Taiwan out of the international arena and to show you that this become part of the problem. October 2005, the Google in order for the Google to get a license in China, it recognized China's One China principle. And in this English map, register Taiwan as a province of China. And the ninth International Firefighter's Game held on February 13th 2006, Taiwan was forced by the organizer to call itself no longer as Taiwan or as the Republic of China, our former title, but as Taipei China. And the fire fighters participating in that game could not tolerate it and they protested and protested, but to no avail. So they withdrew from the game. There is an international organization called International Standard Organization and it does not agree Taiwan to participate as a member but it accepts China's request to call Taiwan not just Taiwan but Taiwan province of China. And I can go on the list it's too very long list of how China is trying to deal with Taiwan and those non governmental organizations, and of course when China squeezes Taiwan, Taiwan has to react; especially the Taiwan people who suffered because of that kind of pressure by the Chinese government. The Taiwanese people who wanted to participate international activities, who are no longer able to do so after the Chinese pressure, they have to react and the President on behalf of the Taiwan people or the government on behalf of the Taiwan people have to react as well. And when we react somehow the international community thinks that Taiwan is making some trouble. But I think we have to make things very clear at this point. Let me give you some very specific examples of why Taiwan people are so extremely angry at some of the Chinese tactics adopted against Taiwan and therefore Taiwan has to make some reactions. The first is the WHO participation. We have been applying for the WHO Observership for more than 10 years and we started to apply this year as an observer, as a member. But then when we apply as a member there were a lot people who think that Taiwan is making trouble because Taiwan is asserting itself as a sovereign country. Well, I think when you hear the story that it's about to be rattier, I am sure you would agree with Taiwan that Taiwan needs to participate as a member. In May 2005, China and the WHO Secretariat signed a memorandum of understanding secret memorandum. We still don't know what that memorandum is like. But there is an implementation of that memorandum and that has been circulated around and we got a hold of it at the beginning of this year and part of this implementation is is things like, whenever Taiwan needs experts not to be invited by the WHO, to participate in some WHO related events, the WHO Secretariat needs to send the request to the Chinese Commission in Geneva. And then the Chinese Commission will send it to the Ministry of Health in Beijing for approval and when the Beijing authority approved that the WHO can invite the Taiwanese expert to participate in those events then the WHO can invite the Taiwanese experts to participate. And if there is any emergency event in Taiwan and the WHO wants to see if it needs to send experts to Taiwan, it needs to make a request to the Beijing authorities, to ask Beijing authorities whether those disasters or events are certainly disasters. And then when Beijing authority says that it's a disaster that the WHO can send experts to Taiwan, then the WHO can sent expert to Taiwan. So this is the implementation of the memorandum signed in between the Chinese government and the WHO Secretariat. Under such kind of circumstances, Taiwan people or Taiwan experts who want to participate in the WHO, as long as they continue to participate in the WHO, and I think Taiwan sovereignty is going to suffer because we participate because of the approval of the Chinese government. So this is a very extreme example. But this is not alone. This is just part of the series of the Chinese tactics in squeezing Taiwan out of international play. Let me read you another international organization and the Chinese attempt to squeeze Taiwan out. That is the World Health's World Organization for Animal Health. You know they not only deal with Taiwan's people's health but also animal health. In the meetings this year in Paris, of this World Organization of Animal Health, the Chinese government wanted to push forward for a resolution to affirm that there is only one China the One China Principle and Taiwan is but a part of China and to call Taiwan as Taiwan China. And this is the drafted resolution by the Chinese government and it force the organizer, or forced the secretariat of the OIE or there World Organization of Animal Health to adopt and almost, the OIE Secretariat adopted that resolution. There is only one word different in between the Chinese version and the OIE Secretariat version. So Taiwan almost became Taiwan China in participating in the OIE, and I think the earlier tactics of the Chinese government some of the cables I saw was that if Taiwan does not accept this arrangement, Taiwan is going to be kicked out of the OIE. Taiwan was an original member of the OIE. So this is the Chinese way of doing things and you know; this is the document. And it's not only that. And recent events includes ICANN, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers that's ICANN, the Chinese government you know, we are original member, but the Chinese government is trying to squeeze Taiwan out or change Taiwan's title. This is one of the most recent events. And then Olympics is something that a lot of people are interested in to see if Taiwan is going to welcome Olympic torch relays. And this is downloaded from the Chinese website, it's still hanging on the official website in the official it's official website of the Chinese Olympic Committee and their tour list of countries that the Olympic torch are going to be passed. And that the first part is international route. But that doesn't include Taiwan. And the second part it's a second stage the first stop is Taipei and it puts Taipei as part of china in its Olympic relay. And as I spoke with some of the American officials that deal with directly with relations with Taiwan, they feel just as we feel, that the Chinese government is using its overwhelming diplomatic influences in the international organizations everywhere, in squeezing Taiwan out and this is the most recent example of how Chinese maneuver is affecting Taiwan's sovereignty, it's affecting Taiwan's international participation. Now on behalf of Taiwan's NGO, trying to participate in the UN and this organization called The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and this is a letter sent back by the Secretary General and let me just read one sentence to you. In the resolution 2750-58 the General Assembly decided to recognize the representative of the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations. This is original resolution. But the second part was not on the original resolution and that's how far the Chinese would go. In accordance with that resolution, the United Nations considers Taiwan for all purposes to be an integral part of the People's Republic of China. And of course these kinds of thing would anger the Taiwan people. These kinds of thing would limit Taiwan's international participation and these kinds of thing would prompt Taiwan's reactions, and I think that the reaction is already is being seen and this is what we see as the most difficult part in Taiwan's international participation. Of course there were people who say that, "Well Taiwan should not pursue independence." But look at Taiwan today, Taiwan does not have any relations with China. Taiwan and China have been separated after 1949 and on Taiwan part we have a president with a parliament, both represent the highest sovereignty in the territory. And after 1949 the government of Taiwan exercises exclusive jurisdiction over the territory under its control. So Taiwan in effect is independent and thus what a lot of people have been describing Taiwan as de facto independent. So if Taiwan is independent, why people are so bothered by Taiwan's independence, since it's already a reality. So I think this is has to do with China's attempt to incorporate Taiwan, to make Taiwan become part of the PRC, that is causing a lot of confusion, that is causing a lot of trouble in between Taiwan and the United States and causing a lot of trouble in between Taiwan and China. But luckily we have the United States on our side almost all the time, in all participation in international activities. For example you know after I came to the United States in April, I started to handle the OIE participation, the World Organization for Animal Health, the administration officials understand the Chinese tactics in squeezing Taiwan out of international arena and therefore worked very hard with the Taiwan side in order to safeguard Taiwan's membership in the OIE and try to preserve Taiwan's title, in trying to preserve Taiwan's rights in participating in the OIE; and therefore Taiwan's membership is preserved. Taiwan is able to use a different form of our title, the Chinese Taipei, even though we don't like it, because it's not our national title and it's not Taiwan. But we can temporarily live with it. So that is how far the United States is willing to go in safeguarding Taiwan's international participation. And I think I also had a chat with some administration officials over the letter send by the Secretary General of the United Nations, and I think the urgency of the matter was also understood and I believe that the administration officials are going to help Taiwan so that Taiwan does not legally become part of China in China's legal warfare against Taiwan internationally. And I think in the relations between Taiwan and the United States, as I said, Taiwan can have it's democracy partly because of the effort of the American people, American Congress and the American administration officials and we are proud of the fact and we are treasured we treasure the relations with the United States. And I often say that relation between Taiwan and United States is going to be very long lasting and it's going to be very solid, and just look at me you know, one who was educated in the United States for almost 10 years, and carried back to Taiwan was me the American values and even the American way of thinking about things, and therefore the United States has all sorts of allies in Taiwan, like me, and we will stand by the United States when the United States is spending freedom and the democracy. And we also hope that the United States can help Taiwan safe guarding its freedom and peace and democracy as well. And I'll end here in order to take your questions. Thank you.
