DPP Newsletter April2007

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DPP PRESIENTAIL

CANIDATE

DEBATES…………...…1 

April 2007

TAIWAN’S RISE TO

DEMOCRACY :REALITIES

AND

PROSPECTS....……....2 

TAIWAN IN THE UN 

HUMAN RIGHTS

CONFERENCE..............3 

From left to right: Former Premier Frank Hsieh, Premier Su Tseng-chang DPP Chairman You Si-kun and Vice

President Annette Lu posing for picture after the second round of debates on April 21st .

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE DPP’S

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

DPP Pres iden t ia l Deba t es

democrac   & rogress

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2  DEMOCRACY &  PROGRESS 

DPP Pres ident ia l Debat es

The four contenders for the DPP’s 2008 presidential nomination,

Premier Su Tseng-chang, Vice President Annette Lu, Former Premier FrankHsieh and Party Chairman You Si-kun, took part in two rounds of televised

debates organized by the party on April 14th in Taipei and April 21st in ChiayiCounty.

The contenders took turns voicing their political views, answered

questions raised by a panel of academics and made concluding remarks for

each of the two hour debates. All four candidates stressed the need for Taiwanto assert its own identity distinct from China.

Vice President Annette Lu said that Taiwan has many strengths in

terms of its democratic system and its hi-tech industries. She said Taiwanneeds a leader who would acknowledge and promote those strengths on the

world stage.Former Premier Frank Hsieh also took up the theme that Taiwan needs

to open up to the world.

Premier Su Tseng-chang said if elected he would not bow to the mantra

of "one China" or compromise Taiwan's sovereignty or democratic values.

DPP Chairman You Si-kun advocated the development of relationswith China on a state to state basis. He said that Taiwan's "normalization"

could not wait until it had the theoretical support of 80% of the nation.

Taiw an in t he UN Hum an Rights Conferenc e

Examination Yuan President, Yao Chia-wen, and the Director of the

DPP’s Department of International Affairs, Legislator Winston Dang,

participated in the fourth meeting of the United Nation’s Human Rights

Council on March 29th

.They were participating through the Liberal International organization,

which is the world federation of liberal and progressive democratic politicalparties. This is the first time a top-ranking Taiwanese official has been able to

put Taiwan’s case directly to a high-level UN meeting. The officials promoted

Taiwan’s bid to join the World Health Organization at the meeting.Yao pointed out that Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHO could cause

serious repercussions not only for the people of Taiwan but for the wholeworld. He also said that the people of Taiwan have shown their willingnesswhen it comes to issues of public health. He gave examples of the SARS

outbreak in 2003 and Taiwan’s effort in offering international humanitarian

aid.Taiwan has been barred from participating in the UN and other

international bodies due to pressure from China.

DEMOCRACY  &  PROGRESS

Department of InternationalAffairs

Democratic Progressive Party 

8F, No. 30, Pei-Ping East Rd.Taipei, Taiwan

t. 886-2-23929989 ext. 305f. 886-2-23214527

e-mail: [email protected] web: http://www.dpp.org.tw 

 Director

Winston Dang 

Editor-in-Chief:Michael Fonte

Editor:Clementine Lee

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3  DEMOCRACY &  PROGRESS 

Taiw an’s Rise t o Democ rac y: Real i t ies & Prospec t s

At an April 15th

international seminar “Taiwan’s rise to Democracy”, DPP Secretary-General LinChia-lung pointed out that the party and the people of Taiwan sincerely hope that the U.S and the

international community can understand that the key issue regarding cross-strait problems lies with

China’s refusal to co-exist with democratic Taiwan, and not with an unilateral declaration of independence by Taiwan, as claimed by China and Taiwan’s KMT party.

Lin stressed that democracy is the crucial factor in maintaining stability and prosperity in the

Asian pacific region. Taiwan believers that order will be built in the region by further strengtheningTaiwan’s democracy and by Taiwan helping facilitate democratic development in China. Taiwan does not

believe stability will come from restricting Taiwan and appeasing China.

The seminar, which was organized by the DPP, had several distinguished speakers and discussantsfrom abroad; Henry Hyde, Former Chair of the House Committee on International Relations U.S.A,

George Fernandez, Former Foreign Minister of Defense India, Semia Ferhat-Dana, Lecturer at the

University of Paris X-Nanterre France, Nishikawa Jun, Chairman of Waseda Taiwan Research Institute

Japan, Stephen Yates, Former Deputy Assistant to Vice President Cheney for National Security Affairs

U.S.A, and Ibrahim Lipumba, Chairman of Civic United Front of Tanzania.Various leading scholars from Taiwan and numerous diplomats and representatives were also

present at this seminar.Speakers and guests reaffirmed Taiwan’s democratic achievement over the past two decades. Mr.

Lipumba stated that Taiwan’s democracy should not only be “exported” to China but also to the many

developing democracies in Africa and Latin America.