President Lee Teng-hui this morning addresses the opening ceremony of the 36th Annual Conference of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Association, which is held in Taipei.
The full text of the President's speech is as follows:
President Lauridsen of the IFATCA, Minister Tsay, Honorable Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Today marks the auspicious opening of the 36th Annual Conference of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Association. I am delighted to join you on this important occasion. On behalf of the government and the people of the Republic of China, I would like to extend my sincerest and warmest welcome to all the distinguished guests from afar.
Since the formation of IFATCA in 1961, its member committees have dedicated themselves to the strengthening of coordination and technical exchanges among various Flight Information Regions. They also aggressively upgrade the quality of their services and work towards achieving the ultimate goal of safety in air traffic. The progress made by the IFATCA in the past 36 years is certainly impressive and deserves our respect.
The advancement in air transportation is catalytic to the emergence of the era of global communities and accelerated global development. Air traffic control is a key component of the air transport industry. It takes not only advanced and precision instruments but also high-caliber and professional air traffic controllers to provide quality air services through sound air traffic control operations on the ground. In particular, with modern jumbo jets coming into the market and the busier-than-ever air traffic, safety in the air cannot be ensured unless there exists a comprehensive system of air traffic control. This is the reason great importance has been attached to the service of air traffic control in every country.
In the past few decades, the Republic of China has achieved high economic growth with improved living standards. In addition, government policies of internationalization and liberalization have generated positive results. All these factors contributed to the accelerated development of aviation industries, and to making Taiwan an important market in the world. To meet the increasing demand of aviation markets both at home and abroad, concerted efforts are in place between the government and the private sector to expedite civil aviation construction, including both software and hardware. This is vital to making Taiwan a regional air transport center, one of our objectives in our goal to become the Asia-Pacific Regional Operations Center. In terms of airport terminal construction, the expansion of Kaohsiung International Airport has been completed while the second phase of expansion for the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport is underway.
In regards to our air navigation facilities, other than the completion of the world's newest ATC Automated System and the installation of five ATC radar systems which aim at gradually replacing aged equipment, we also plan to construct next-generation satellite communications and navigation systems.
Furthermore, additional manpower and trained personnel will be added to the area of flight safety and traffic control. Recently, new international routes are being established to link up Hong Kong and Japan which will make international air transportation even more convenient. Obviously, a new era is approaching for the aviation industry of the ROC.
The air traffic control in the ROC, with the concerted efforts of all parties concerned, has indeed made tremendous progress. However, we are certainly not complacent. Our goals are to seek further improvement and to provide better service. We look forward to the conclusions that will be reached in this annual conference. We believe they will have enduring impact on the upgrading of ATC service both here in the ROC and for the rest of the world.
The ROCs efforts and accomplishments in recent years in terms of political democratization and economic development have won acclaim from all over the world. We are now moving forward step by step, towards the 21st century, and we believe new records will again be set. I would like to especially point out that the ROC has sufficient experiences and capabilities and is willing to work hand in hand with other countries in contributing towards the goals of peace and prosperity for all mankind. In closing, I wish this conference every success and to each of you, good health and happiness. Thank you.