Taipei, July 12 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bien opened the much-hyped "blue highway" route between Ilan County and Hualien County set up for sightseeing by sailing from Suao Harbor in Ilan County to Hualien Harbor in Hualien City.
The president, accompanied by Deputy Secretary-General to the President Chen Che-nan and Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san, arrived at Hualien Harbor at noon to a fanfare reception staged by local members of the coast guard.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chen noted he had visited Hualien a few weeks earlier to mark the completion of the electrification of North Link Railway Line between Hualien and Keelung, adding that he was now back again to open the "blue highway, " both of which he said were projects carried out to boost the economy of the eastern part of the island.
The president said Hualien is one of five international harbors in the country to be designated as a free trade harbor according to the just-enacted Free Trade Harbor Zone Statute.
Furthermore, the construction of a Hualien-Ilan freeway will begin later this year which, coupled with the expansion of the Hualien Airport, will make Hualien City into an international city, Chen said.
Recounting that his eyes feasted on the beautiful scenery along the eastern coastline of Taiwan during his one-and-a-half-hour voyage from Ilan to Hualien, Chen urged his fellow compatriots to love their beautiful country.