DPP launches publication summarizing foreign relations achievements

On February 27, the DPP held a press conference releasing its newest publication “The New Diplomatic Strategy”, summarizing two years of the DPP’s achievements in foreign relations.

 

Mr. Liu Shih-chung, director of the DPP’s Department of International Affairs, said that this publication highlights the DPP’s foreign policy, which as Chair Su has pinpointed, is to “open up internationally, show care to the world and to promote democracy and peace”.

 

In the publication, it is told that the DPP exerted a large amount of effort into fundraising to re-open the DPP representative office in Washington, D.C., which was closed twelve years ago when the DPP won the administration in 2000. Without the contributions from Taiwanese residents in the U.S. and in Canada, this office would not have been opened, and as a tribute to them, the publication largely dedicates the DPP's achievements to their support.

 

In order to re-strengthen the DPP’s relations with the U.S., Chair Su raised the 3Rs of foreign policy for the DPP, which were “responsibility, reconciliation and re-balance”. In his speech at the Brookings Institution in June of last year, Chair Su explained that “responsibility” is to pave the way for a DPP comeback to government, also calling for “reconciliation” in the normalization of cross strait relations and a “re-balance” of US-Taiwan relations.  

 

Confronting the new transformations in Asia’s regional security, the DPP has especially strengthened its partnership relations with neighboring countries in order to prevent further changes to the status quo of peace and stability in the region. Furthermore, in regards to China’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to counter the U.S. promotion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the DPP also hopes for Taiwan to expand more economic and trade relations with Southeast Asia.

 

On the environmental front, the DPP has also focused on building foreign relations based on the DPP’s goal to promote a nuclear-free homeland. “Through exchanges with NGOs from European countries like Denmark, Germany and U.K., the DPP has obtained great assistance in formulating policy regarding the promotion of alternative sources of energy to replace nuclear power,” said Mr. Liu.

 

In political party-to-party relations, the DPP as founding member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and as member of Liberal International (LI) has promoted democracy development through these platforms and at the same time let the world understand Taiwan’s democratic and free system. In 2012 and 2013, LI passed resolutions appealing for the governing administration in Taiwan to grant Former President Chen Shui-bian a medical parole and to respect judicial independence.

 

“This kind of international pressure on the current administration ensured the passage to amendments in Taiwan’s legislature concerning communications security and surveillance law,” Mr. Liu said.  

 

Mr. Joseph Wu, representative to the U.S. and executive director of the DPP’s Policy Research Committee, said that under the leadership of Chair Su, the DPP’s office in Washington D.C. was re-opened after it was shut down 12 years ago, improving smoothly the DPP’s relationship with the U.S. through exchanges with the U.S. Congress and with a variety of think tanks.

 

Mr. Wu also reported that U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce gave strong encouragements to the DPP’s work when he visited Taiwan last week.

 

Also present at the press conference were Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim and Legislator Chiu Yi-ying, who gave their appraisal of the milestones achieved by the DPP in diplomatic relations. Both having taken part in the Legislative Yuan’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, they have ensured that the DPP’s standpoints are enacted through legislation in Taiwan’s foreign policy.

 

Ms. Maysing Yang who served as director of the DPP’s Department of International Affairs during the early stages of the DPP as a party, told the story of the achievements made by the DPP through the small amount of contributions by its supporters. These results must be attributed to them, she stressed.

 

Chair Su made concluding remarks, emphasizing that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country because “if it conducts foreign relations, it is a country and because as a country, it has to engage in foreign relations”.

 

Chair Su added, “Even though the DPP has faced tough challenges in foreign relations and despite our limited resources, we will continue working hard to achieve our goals.”

 

 

DPP launches publication summarizing foreign relations achievements