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應美國「阿拉斯加國際事務委員會」(Alaska World Affairs Council)邀請,以「展望亞太情勢」為題,解析太平洋的未來。(2010年7月4-7日)

 “Perspective on Asia-Pacific Development”
Speech to the Alaska World Affairs Council

H.E. Lu Hsiu-lien Annette
Former Vice-President of the R.O.C. Taiwan

Anchorage, Alaska
July 6, 2010

    Dr. Cox, Executive Director Falskow, members of Alaska World Affairs Council, and distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

Four months ago, when I was flying across Alaska on my way from Seoul to Los Angeles, I happened to catch the sight of the land beneath the plane through the window, and surprisingly discovered a town covered by white snow, reflecting a shining silver veil under the midnight moonlight. What a breath-taking view it was!

    And here I am today right on the soil of Alaska, the land of Midnight Sun! Words can hardly express my thrill to have this opportunity to meet with dear friends. I deeply appreciate the kind invitation by the Alaska World Affairs Council.  

    As you all knew, I am from Taiwan. Your former Governor, also the former Senator- Mr. Murkowski has maintained his strong friendship with Taiwan. Another former Governor of Alaska, Ms. Sarah Palin not long ago concluded her campaign for vice- presidency.

    While the U.S. has had two female vice- president candidates in 24 years, Taiwan already has one female who has served two terms of her vice-presidency from 2000 to 2008, and that’s me! Can you guess where I was or what I was while your first female Vice-President candidate- Senator Geraldine Ferraro was having a debate with her opponent- Vice- President Mondale on TV? In the year of 1984, I was jailed in a political prison in Taipei as a prisoner of conscience!

    I delivered a 20-minute speech to commemorate the Human Rights’ Day of 1979 before some 70 thousand audience, never was I expecting to be arrested and to be deprived of freedom for 6 years for that speech. Of course, never was I expecting to be elected to become the vice-president 20 years later. And the President was one of the defense lawyers of the incident! We two, a lawyer and a “seditious element” along with many other freedom fighters fought together to overturn a half-century autocratic regime in a peaceful and democratic way, making it a miracle of democracy.

    I knew very little about your history, but at least I knew you have not suffered from the martial law ruling like Taiwanese people have experienced, for 38 years long. Throughout my life, I fought for both women’s right and democracy. Today, women in Taiwan enjoy freedom and equality as much as men do. While the economic gross output of Taiwan ranks 20th in the world, the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) set up by UNESCO also ranks Taiwanese women No. 19 globally and No. 2 in Asia.

    I am here to learn and to share with you the experiences and wisdom for the better development of the Pacific Community. It seems to me that Alaska is very much progressive and prosperous, knowing that one of the two Senators from Alaska is a lady, and one of the two female Vice-President candidates that the U.S. has ever had was also from Alaska. Moreover, Alaska is a tax-free state and all her citizens are granted good annual bonus by the state government. I really envy you!

    Both Taiwan and Alaska are situated in the Pacific and linked to ocean. Both have become air flight hub. Humankind’s concept of the sea has changed over time, from an initial reliance on the sea for food and coastal travel, to an emphasis on the oceans as important navigation routes, now, to our recognition of marine waters as vital to survival and development, on the land and on the ocean as well.

    Since the end of World War II, the world has seen an uninterrupted series of conflicts over marine resources, territorial waters, and other interests. The escalation of competition and conflict over the oceans is attributable to three major factors.

    First, as the world population continues to rise and land resources diminish, the strategic value of marine resources increases. Countries around the world are pursuing long-term survival and sustainable development.

    Second, the oceans and seas are a lifeline of international transportation. With most countries relying on trade to enhance national strength, ensuring the safety of sea transportation routes becomes equivalent to safeguarding national security.
    Third, the oceans serve as a protective barrier. Most countries and territories in the world have coastlines. Statistics show that over half of the world’s population lives within 200 kilometers of the sea. National, political, economic, and cultural centers are also concentrated in coastal areas.

    All in all, maritime competition and conflict resolves in three main targets:
1.    Competition for maritime resources.
2.    Competition for straits and islands.
3.    Competition for jurisdiction over maritime territory.

There is no doubt that conflict over maritime interests has made the oceans the new high ground in international competition. Conflict is especially common in the vast Pacific area. With more than 2 billion people living in 30 nations, the Pacific region is home to about 40 percent of the world’s population. Therefore, unrest or stability in the area directly influences global peace and development. The Pacific region is rich in natural resources. Fisheries production amount to 45 percent of the global total, and more than 90 percent of marine products originate in the Pacific. The continental shelf deposits of oil and natural gas in the Pacific region are among the most plentiful in the world. Underneath the Pacific seabed lie stores of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper ten to a thousand times richer than those on land. In addition, tin, aluminum, coal, and iron are also abundant.

The countries of the Pacific are renowned for their flourishing industries and rapid economic growth. The United States and Japan, two of the world’s leading industrial nations, are situated on the eastern and western edges of the Pacific, respectively. The rising China and Russia are also the regional superpower of the Pacific. Besides, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong-Kong- known as the “Four Little Dragons”- are vigorous powerhouse for world economy.

The Pacific Ocean also holds an important position in international shipping, ranking second place just behind the Atlantic Ocean. The Pacific’s vast network of shipping and air traffic routes, together with the tight communications network associated with the region’s economic and political activities, has an important effect on the economic development of the region. In terms of capacity, eight of the world’s top ten container ports are located in the Pacific region. The region’s total container capacity and trade volume already account for more than half the global total.

In addition, the third-wave technological revolution launched by the U.S., Japan, and the newly industrialized nations of Southeast Asia has pushed human civilization towards another summit of technological achievement. Technological platforms such as telecommunications, wireless communications, deep-sea fiber optic cables, satellite communications, and the Internet have created a new global economic center of gravity, whether in e-commerce, e-government, or other e-developments. In short, the Pacific region has become the most important arena of life, and the vision of the 21st century as a Pacific Era is realized.

Nonetheless, the rapid growth of national power has also caused problems that threaten the area’s development. Problems such as increases in population and industrial pollution have resulted in the gradual withering of Pacific fisheries resources and huge decreases in many coastal species. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are threatening the survival of coastal cities and countries adjacent to the sea. Excessive logging of the world’s forests have degraded water resources and caused other negative environmental effects.

To resolve these problems, Pacific countries should coordinate their efforts and cooperate with one another, integrating their resources and information so as to establish a cooperative mechanism that reflects maritime culture, implements that values of democracy, and ensures the survival and development of the people of the Pacific region.

With all these in mind, I initiated and established in 2003, the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU), with the support and participation of political leaders and marine experts coming from over 30 countries in the Pacific Community. Prior to it, a number of international conventions including the Fourth Global Summit for Women in 1994, the Feminist Summit for Global Peace in 1995, and the Global Peace Assembly in 2001 have been organized and hosted by me in Taiwan. Many Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and prestigious world leaders were invited to attend, good wisdom and visions were shared and elaborated.

Why I was so enthusiastic about all these? Because I love peace and people, and I believe women are born to make peace, not to make trouble. Of course, I also believe that my country Taiwan, no matter how tiny geographically it is, can play some role in the world affairs as a member in the global village.

Located midway between Northeast and Southeast Asia, and with control over passage in the Taiwan Strait, through which 400 international ships sail and over which 350 international air carriers fly each day, Taiwan’s status as a maritime nation is indisputable. Over the past half-century, the people of Taiwan have created three miracles- an economic miracle, a democratic miracle, and a miracle of peace. The key element in the creation of these three miracles is human resources, and the motivating force is the “soft” power of the country. This soft power, which has guided Taiwan’s social, economic, and political development, is built upon a lofty yet appealing system of ethics, philosophy, or values. Soft power includes human rights, democracy, peace, love, and high technology. These are achievements made by the Taiwanese people step-by-step in concerted effort over the past fifty years. These five national powers differ from the rigid strengths of the traditional structures of economic dominance and military intimidation. These soft powers contain huge potential for creativity and not for destruction. They are beneficial to all and can be generously shared. They give no cause for combat and there is no question for the strong preying on the weak. As special features of human civilization in the 21st century, these soft national powers are worth of glorification around the world.

Taiwan’s miracles have not only brought its people democracy and prosperity, but have also made an enormous contribution to the international community. In Asia, Taiwan has assisted in the defense against communism and blocked its spread, while in the Americas, it has watched the United States’ backyard and eased its worries. If Taiwan had not been resisting Chinese communism for the past fifty years, Asia might have fallen completely under communist rule. And because 14 U.S. neighbors in the Caribbean and Central America have chosen to be Taiwan’s allies and reject to be friend with the communist Chinese regime, the world superpower- the United States- has been saved from trouble at home. It was not just the United States that came to Taiwan’s defense, but Taiwan was also helping defend the free world.

Regretfully, the world seems to have ignored the significant commitments and contributions of Taiwan, making it the only democracy denied by virtually all major international organizations, including the United Nations. President Barak Obama, the first American President grown up in the Pacific, has reiterated his strong interest in Asia, but has paid less attention to the most delicate and drastic situation on the Taiwan Strait.

The prevailing impression about the cross strait situation seems to be optimistic, based on the fact of the rapid increasing exchange of trade and people between Taiwan and China in recent years. In particular, an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) has just been signed on June 29, despite the strong protest and dissent opinion coming from the native Taiwanese. The term “ECFA” sounds odd not only to you, but also to us. Theoretically, China should sign Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Taiwan, since both parties became WTO members almost at the same time on January 1, 2002. However, instead of FTA, China made it no choice for Taiwan but to accepting ECFA following the formula of Hong Kong’s CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Agreement), as China insists that Taiwan and Hong Kong are alike; is not an independent sovereign state. While FTA is a state-to-state treaty, ECFA is an arrangement of region-to-region. Once ECFA is signed up, Taiwan lost its status as a sovereign state. The opposition movements led by native political leaders failed to prevent it, causing a new crisis to allow China to claim Taiwan as its internal territory.

But is Taiwan the territory of China? Allow me to reflect with you the complicated issue. Historically, Taiwan did not belong to China. It was not until 1887 that China’s Ch’ing emperor declared Taiwan a province of China. However, 7 years later, China and Japan came into conflict over the Korean Peninsula. China sent troops to the area at the request of the Korean emperor, to assist in suppressing a coup. In the name of protecting overseas Japanese residents in Korea, Japan also sent in troops, which then clashed with China’s army. China was defeated.

After this war, eleven people gathered in a small room in Shimonoseki, a city in the south of Japan, and spent a month in discussion. Not one of these people came from Taiwan, yet the result of these negotiations was a treaty that determined the fate of Taiwan and her 6 million inhabitants of that time. On April 17, 1895, representatives of the Ch’ing and Japanese governments signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ceded the islands of Taiwan and Peng-hu to Japan in perpetuity.

Japan reigned over Taiwan for fifty years until 1945, when it was defeated at the end of World War II. At the conclusion of the war, the Allied Powers Pacific Region Commander, General Douglas MacArthur, directed Chiang Kai-shek to send troops to Taiwan and take over for the time being. When Chiang Kai-shek took control of Taiwan, however, it was not as head of the Chinese Army, but in his capacity as the China Area Field Commander of the Allied Powers’ Pacific Region Command. Legally speaking, Taiwan did not return to China. Chiang occupied Taiwan on behalf of the Allied Forces rather than on behalf of China.

On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) was established. Two months later, on December 9, 1949, Chiang Kai-shek led the Nationalist forces in a mass retreat from the mainland to Taiwan. After that, many international disputes arose between the P.R.C. and the R.O.C., until, in 1971, the United Nations approved Resolution No. 2758 declaring the P.R.C. to be the only legitimate representative of China. Following the passage of this resolution, the R.O.C. gradually disappeared from the international community. First, the P.R.C. refused to recognize the name Republic of China, then gradually most other countries in the world followed suit. This resulted in many problems for Taiwan internationally.

The U.S. continued to recognize the Republic of China. Until 1979, when Jimmy Carter broke off relations with the R.O.C., and granted diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China instead, since then, relations between China and the U.S. have sometimes been very warm. At other times they have been quite chilly, especially following the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, when the whole world severely condemned the P.R.C. leaders for the killings. Then in March of 1996, as Taiwan conducted the first democratic presidential election in its history, China attempted to interfere in the outcome by launching a series of missiles into the waters off Taiwan’s coast. President Bill Clinton dispatched aircraft carriers to the Strait to defend Taiwan, so that the unprecedented presidential election could be concluded smoothly. Taiwan therefore had become independent both de facto and de jure in 1996, under China’s threat and U.S. protection.

China refuses to recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and insists its “One China” policy. Since Premier Wen Jia-bao spoke of the peaceful rise of China in 2003 at Harvard University, observers began to believe that China would truly pursue peace. In fact, China’s grand strategy is to use its economic and cultural strengths to reduce or to expel the U.S. interference in Asia by taking peace as disguise. China uses its “soft powers” to enhance its ties with neighboring states and to break the hospitality of Taiwan. Meanwhile, China has constructed missile bases and deployed 1800 ballistic missiles against Taiwan, and hundreds of cruise missiles. In addition, China has used its navy to penetrate the first island chain and move aggressively towards the second island chain of the Pacific. China already possesses submarines. China’s nuclear- powered submarines have appeared in Japanese waters, sending a clear sign of their naval ambitions to prevent the U.S. and Japan from protecting Taiwan. China’s ambition is clear enough- to challenge the U.S. Japan Security Alliance and to enhance its marine hegemony in the Pacific region!

Recently, disputes on the Kadena military base in Okinawa between Japan and the U.S. caused the collapse of Prime Minister Hatoyama and his cabinet. Another dispute between North and South Koreas raised even more tension in the region.

In last March, a Navy Vessel of South Korea, Cheonan was sunken, in which 46 sailors died. Later, an international investigation concluded that the Cheonan Vessel had been hit by a North Korea missile. But North Korea denounced it to be a conspiracy led by the U.S. The U.N. Security Council discussed possible action against North Korea. On June 25, Pyongyang imposed shipping ban off the west coast of Korean peninsula on the 60th anniversary of Korea war. It also warned of an immediate attack if the South Navy violated the disputed Yellow Sea borderline, and that it would consider a complete block on access to a joint industrial project in the North Korean city of Kaesong.

To respond to it, South Korea had announced a package of measures, including a halt to most trade with North Korea. And 10 South Korean warships were dispatched to take part in an anti-submarine drill. It is also seeking action via the United Nations Security Council.

The South Korea exercise was one of the first visible signs of a raising of South Korea’s defense posture in response to the incident. The two states are technically still at war after the Korean conflict ended without a peace treaty in 1953.

The tension came exactly six decades after North Korean troops swept across the border into South Korea, triggering three years of bloody conflict in which an estimated three million people died. As a result in 1945, victorious U.S. and Soviet forces divided the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel, following Japan’s defeat in the Second World War.

Has the history of war taught us to cherish the hard-won peace and stability?

Right in this Pacific theater, 65 years ago, during the Second World War, 35 millions casualties were accounted and 400 billion U.S. dollars of property damage was estimated. The war was in fact, spread through the three major continents- Asia, Europe and Africa, and in the three oceans- the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian oceans.

Peace has always been a desire of humanity. In the past, the concept of peace existed only as political ideologies and religious beliefs and not yet as an international norm. Not until 1977, the U.N. Human Rights Committee formally advocated the concept of “the right to peace”. In 1984, the U.N. General Assembly approved the Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace, affirming that “the peoples of our planet have a sacred right to peace” and declaring that the “preservation of the right of peoples to peace and its promotion and implementation constitute a fundamental obligation of each State.” Since then, peace has been a fundamental right of human existence.

Human society has evolved to the point where it should not be governed by the law of the jungle, where the strong prey upon the weak to survive. Rather, society should be governed by the “law of the zoo,” where all animals may live in peace and respect one another. In the jungle, the strong feed on the weak. In zoo, lion, tigers, and leopards, locked in cages, share the blue sky and white clouds with cute little rabbits, birds, and cats. Human civilization has long rejected the law of the jungle.

The development of the idea of peace can best be demonstrated by the contemporary situation that Japan, which attacked Pearl Harbor, and the United States, which dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the World War II, became important strategic partners and allies for peace. Regretfully however, China, which was invaded by Japan, now threatens not just Taiwan but every corner of the Pacific Ocean with its aggressive expansion of military power.

I often liken China to a lion and Taiwan to a little kitty cat. The whole world knows the fierceness of the lion. If the world throws the kitty cat to the lion, the kitty cat would meet a bloody end, but the lion would only have had a small meal. If the nations of the world are to exist in peace, large and ferocious beasts must be kept in their cages, living their own lives while the tame and cute animals are allowed to play freely.  

Let’s look to the east and adopt the soft philosophy of maritime cultures as a central focus, we can link the democratic nations of the Pacific Rim to establish a cooperative mechanism for democracy and peace. Together, we can create a new blue civilization for the 21st century that is full of democracy, peace and prosperity.

Alaska is the Last Frontier of the U.S. With your geographical uniqueness, the extraordinary rich natural resources, plus your most advanced facilities of defense missile systems, Alaska can effectively prevent mass destruction warfare from attacking the American continent. Alaska also can deter and block China’s Liberation Army from manipulating the Pacific Ocean. More importantly, Alaska can become the Midpoint for the development of peace and prosperity in the Pacific Region! Alaska, like Taiwan, can become the candle for the blue civilization!

May I again express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Cox, Executive Director Falskow, and everyone from the Alaska World Affairs Council for giving me the opportunity to share with you my belief and my vision, as well as to show me the grand Alaska.

May God bless the Earth!

May God bless all of you!

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