Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday that it is his greatest honor to be invited to attend the 100th anniversary ceremony of the National Press Club

Chen made the remarks during a meeting with Peter Hickman, vice chairman of the NPC Newsmaker Committee, at the Presidential Office.

Chen said that it is an invitation to the 23 million people of Taiwan and that he is willing to represent the Taiwan people to take part in the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Chen lauded Hickman’s strong belief in democracy and press freedom, saying that three incidents can show that Hickman does not cave in to any pressure from China.

First of all, Chen said, the NPC did not remove Taiwan’s national flag from among those of other countries displayed at the NPC’s hall as China has repeatedly requested.

Secondly, Chen said that Hickman, facing even greater pressure from Beijing in May, invited him to speak to U.S. press members and academics via a NPC-organized videoconference.

Thirdly, despite mounting pressure from China, the NPC still invited Wang Wenyi, a Falun Gong member, to talk about how the Chinese government oppresses Falun Gong practitioners and particularly how China harvests organs from living Falun Gong members.

Touching upon Taiwan’s bid to join major international organizations, Chen noted that there are still many countries that would not support or even explicitly oppose Taiwan’s entry into the World Health Organization (WHO) or the United Nations for fear of offending China.

He stressed that the people of Taiwan undoubtedly have the freedom and the right to express their common aspiration for the country to become a member of international organizations and that they should not be deprived of this right.

Chen also said that the Taiwan people have been excluded from the U.N. for 36 years, which he described as “extremely unfair.”

In response, Hickman said that China will not be able to achieve its aims by putting pressure on the NPC, adding that he hopes more people from Taiwan can give speeches at the NPC in the future.

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