Humanitarian aid integrates Taiwan into world community: Ma

Extreme climate change, increasing global warming and rising incidents of natural disasters everywhere have caused suffering in many nations and left them dependent on massive and long-term aid in order to survive, the president noted.

"Taiwan, as a member of the global village, should not sit idly by in the face of these global issues," he said.

Taiwan will stand tall in the international community and gain respect so long as it sticks to the universal value of rendering humanitarian aid and assistance, he suggested.

The president praised the civilian Taiwanese rescue teams and crew members of an Air Force C-130 transport plane, who traveled across the Pacific Ocean and transversed difficult inland roads to deliver medical supplies and relief goods to Haiti after the Caribbean ally was struck by a deadly magnitude-7 earthquake Jan. 12.

They have demonstrated Taiwan's soft power through constructive and humanitarian means, Ma said.

Quoting Ministry of Foreign Affairs figures, the president said the Taiwan government and the private sector have so far extended relief and medical aid to Haiti totalling US$13 million.

Taiwan has been invited by Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez to take part in an international meeting on April 14 to exchange views on long-term aid to Haiti, Ma added.

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