Taipei, May 21 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian lauded the role of overseas Chinese in national development Friday and encouraged them to play an even bigger role in the future to help Taiwan gain a greater presence in international society.
Chen made the call during a tea party sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (OCAC) to mark Chen's second four-year inauguration as the 11th-term Republic of China president.
Chen thanked the long-term and firm devotion of overseas Chinese to the country and hailed them as the driving force behind Taiwan's progress and development. He called for continued backing and advice from Taiwan people residing abroad and encouraged them to display the traits of Taiwan's multi-ethnic cultures to the international community.
Chen vowed to be humbler to face up to all the people of Taiwan and promised to do his utmost to serve the country, especially after having such a close brush with death after a failed assassination of him and the vice president on the eve of the March 20 election.
The event made him deeply understand the meaning of life and the great mission ahead of him while serving as the head of state, he said.
The president thanked them for the warmth extended to him by the many friends and supporters from Taiwan during his four trips abroad over the past four years and said he was very profoundly touched by their patriotism every time.
Highly praising overseas fellow countrymen as the "mothers of revolution" in the past and the "mother of democratic reforms" nowadays, he appealed for their continued support for Taiwan's keen pursuit of a fully fledged democracy and a prosperous economy.
Taiwan is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society and mutual respect and tolerance for differences is necessary and important for the country to generate energy and power to win greater international recognition, he concluded.