To open new diplomatic channels and foster regional prosperity, Taiwan hosted the first Democratic Pacific Assembly in September and hopes to establish--with other nations of the Pacific region--a Democratic Pacific Union as a regional economic and political bloc.
In recent decades, the promotion of regional integration has struck a high note in world politics. The drawing together of diverse economies in a single geographic region holds the promise of shared prosperity, regional political stability, and increased competitive ability with larger nations or other regions of the globe.
Since its formation in 1993, the European Union, for example, has evolved into a powerful political and economic presence in the world. It has given the Europeans a mechanism to harness their diversity into a competitive bloc. That bloc is now expanding, with plans for the accession of 13 eastern and southern European affiliates to its current 15 member countries. In 2002, a number of African countries declared the establishment of the African Union, with the ambition of forming their own regional bloc. In the Americas and Asia, similar groups are beginning to take shape, including the Organization of American States, the System of Integration of Central America, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
In the Pacific region, a new organization is being planned to harness the richness of countries sitting on the edges of the world's largest ocean. Asia, Oceania, Antarctica, and the Americas surround nearly half of the world's ocean area and more than one third of the earth's surface. Home to about 40 percent of the global population and made up by approximately 30 countries, the Pacific region, including the continental shelves and seabed, is rich in oil, natural gas, and minerals such as manganese, copper, cobalt, tin, coal, and iron, as well as fishery resources. Moreover, the ocean's expansive shipping and air traffic networks, intertwined with economic and political activities in the region, could be united into a highly competitive regional cooperative organization.
Taiwan hosted the first Democratic Pacific Assembly (DPA) in September, a meeting that included representatives from its diplomatic allies in Central America. "The 21st century is the century of the Pacific," said Lu Hsiu-lien, Taiwan's vice president, in her keynote speech at the assembly. "Soft civilization is certain to infuse the Pacific region with immense vitality and dynamic appeal." According to her definition, gentle civilizing forces comprise human rights, democracy, peace, and even high technology, one of the prime engines of Taiwan's economy. These forces, according to Lu, are set against the crude powers of economic exploitation and military intimidation, primarily China's, which has so limited Taiwan's ability to participate in international organizations.
It is this litany of "soft" virtues, already considerably realized in Taiwan, that the DPA seeks to underpin a new regional association, the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU), which aims to promote prosperity and security. As a prelude to the establishment of a base in Taiwan, the forum was hosted by the Action for DPU, which was founded by Lu, and organized by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER). The private research body began its work in 1976. In addition to the Presidential Office's endorsement, significant contributions to the preparation work also came from other governmental organizations such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government Information Office, the Academia Sinica, and several universities. "In this assembly, Taiwan will again show the strength of its will," remarked President Chen Shui-bian in his opening speech. "We have confidence in uniting all mature and fledgling democracies in the region to follow this hopeful road to democracy, peace, and prosperity."
Originally scheduled to be held in the first half of this year, the first DPA meeting was postponed due to the outbreak of the US invasion of Iraq and the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome. This delay, however, allowed the meeting to take place around the same time as the United Nations' International Day of Peace and World Maritime Day, lending the assembly an air of timeliness. The event was co-chaired by Lu and Benjamin Gilman, former chairman of the Committee on International Relations of the US House of Representatives. The 67 foreign participants from 21 western, eastern, and southern Pacific countries plus the Czech Republic included the governor-general of Tuvalu, vice presidents of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, parliamentarians, scholars, experts, and representatives of international nongovernmental organizations. Delegates from Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Tonga, and the United States also participated in the event. Robert Mundell, economist and 1999 Nobel laureate, also attended the meeting and expressed his views on European integration and corresponding issues such as currency integration--an issue he is well acquainted with as he was one of the central advisers to the founding of the Euro.
Under the slogan "A Common Future of the 21st-century Pacific," the DPA hosted discussions on democratic development, development of ocean resources, security, and economic development. In the field of oceanography, for instance, Lee Chao-shing, professor at the National Taiwan Ocean University, surveyed alternative ways of exploring the sea. According to Lee, the development of Taiwan's offshore resources has been limited to fishing and the search for petroleum. Despite efforts to tap underwater oil resources, the seabed around Taiwan has proven unfruitful for petroleum extraction, and Taiwan still imports 99 percent of its oil and gas. In addition, the country's fisheries produce the sixth highest annual catch in the world, but the demarcation of the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone will add considerable difficulties to the global fishing industry, and may limit the resources available to Taiwan's fishing community. Lee suggests the development of new marine resources, such as sea-floor mining, to replace possible losses of fishing revenues. The series of discussions also drew attention to issues such as biodiversity, marine tourism, aquaculture, and the sustainable utilization and conservation of marine environments.
In addition to discussing possible benefits from the sea, delegates talked about regional security issues such as threats presented by China's growing military strength, North Korea, and the war on terrorism and its implications for Asia. Joseph Bosco, for example, underscored the possible destabilizing influence of China to regional stability. The Georgetown University professor noted that Beijing has been rapidly building up its offensive weaponry, supported North Korea's missile program, sold weapons to the states deemed by the US to be supporting terrorism, and, of course, upgrading its ability to wage war against Taiwan. The question of China will be one of the thorniest for a new Pacific regional pact, since China has repeatedly stymied Taiwan's efforts to participate in international organizations. Nevertheless, the DPA delegates expressed hope that Taiwan could persevere.
Among the viable goals are agreements for closer economic ties. Addressing this point, Wu Rong-i, the TIER president, called for closer cooperation among Asia-Pacific nations in order to avoid a repeat of the 1997 financial crisis that plagued many countries in the region. Wu said the crisis proved that closer economic ties among nations are key to preventing the system from breaking down and plunging the entire region into a recession.
The first DPA closed with a roundtable discussion on creating a mechanism to promote cooperation among Pacific democracies. The assembly's resolution confirmed the delegates' interest in founding the DPU to enhance regional cooperation. A preparatory secretariat will be formed in Taipei to organize the second DPA, which will be held in Taiwan next year.
The assembly also decided to deliver a formal letter to the United Nations and the World Health Organization in support of Taiwan's bid to join the global health body. Since 1997, Taiwan has sought observer status at the organization. Beijing's opposition has, thus far, succeeded in blocking Taiwan's bid.
The creation of the DPU could open a new avenue for Taiwan to forge links with other nations. Despite China's opposition to Taiwan's diplomatic efforts, Taiwan is looking toward the sea for an ocean of new possibilities. "If the Pacific community is a ship," remarked President Chen Shui-bian at the meeting, "Taiwan would be its anchor and could play a crucial role in the region's stability."