Foreign Minister Chen; Secretary-General Chen of International Cooperation and Development Fund; Current and Past Members of Our Technical Missions; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen: Good Evening!
Tonight, I am here to attend Celebrations Commemorating 45 Years of Taiwan's Foreign Assistance Programs hosted by the International Cooperation and Development Fund. Standing here, my heart is filled with gratitude. The five-minute video we just watched showed how Taiwan's foreign assistance programs began, made progress, encountered difficulties, and bore fruits. I am deeply impressed and moved by images in the video. This year marks the 45th anniversary of Taiwan's foreign assistance projects, and I would like to share this proud and memorable moment with all our fellow countrymen.
It has been 45 years since Taiwan dispatched the first technical mission to Vietnam in 1945 to help the country develop its agriculture. Over the years, members of our overseas technical missions lived under the threat of war and disease, endured the pain of being separated from their families and beloved ones, and faced great pressure from their work and local people's high expectations. Even though they worked in such harsh environment, with strong determination and love, they have created numerous miracles. More than three decades ago, members of Taiwan's agriculture mission spent nearly two weeks flying across half of the globe to Burkina Faso and began a project to grow rice in the African state, where the terrain is dominated by hot and dry deserts. Now, seeing swaths of the country's arid land being turned into lush green paddies, we shall remember that our technical mission members have sweated and toiled to create this agricultural spectacle. The rice project in Burkina Faso is the best example of how Taiwan assists its developing allies in attaining sustainable agricultural development.
Today, there are more than 30 Taiwanese technical missions based all over the world. Their mission is to offer "humanitarian aid" and conduct "people's diplomacy" in the name of Taiwan. They have been actively engaged in international efforts to reduce poverty, fight hunger and promote economic development. I firmly believe that it is a greater blessing to give than to receive because having the ability to give is already a blessing in itself.
A few months ago, director Wu Nien-jen and Ms. Lin Chih-ling, a famous model from Taiwan, flew to the Marshall Islands and shot a film featuring lives of Taiwanese volunteers in the country. Their aim is to help more people understand the work of Taiwanese volunteers in this Pacific island country and to encourage more people to volunteer their service in our foreign aid programs. Shortly after the film was shot, I personally led a delegation to visit the Marshall Islands and saw that our people's love has born fruits there. Taiwan was once a recipient country of foreign aid, but now it is a donor country, offering assistance to other members in the international community. We hold in our hearts profound gratitude as we become an integral part of the international community and in consolidating our role on the world stage.
Since I became the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I have been constantly thinking about how to expand international space for Taiwan and enhance Taiwan's status in the international society. I have taken seven state visits to our diplomatic allies since 2000 and attended the late Pope John Paul II's funeral mass in Vatican in April this year, setting foot on 22 of Taiwan's diplomatic allies over the past five years. When I traveled to our allied countries in Latin America, Africa and the South Pacific region, I managed to take some time out of my busy schedule to meet with members of Taiwan's technical missions based in these nations to share with them our care and encourage them. I saw that they, with professionalism and firm determination, overcame difficult conditions in these countries in order to plant seeds of hope from Taiwan in the soil of these foreign countries. Now their efforts have born fruits as they help people in our allied countries attain their development goals, one step at a time. These technical missions laid a solid foundation of friendship between Taiwan and its diplomatic allies. I would like to express my admiration for their altruism and self-sacrificing spirit. Currently, an exhibition is held in the Presidential Office to celebrate 45 years of Taiwan's foreign assistance programs. One of the main purposes of the exhibition is to pay tribute to our technical mission members' contributions and achievements.
Taiwan does not conduct "money diplomacy" but is dedicated to "humanitarian diplomacy," "pluralistic diplomacy" and "people's diplomacy." We are most willing to share Taiwan's success in national development with our allied countries so that they may see the future they may have soon. Furthermore, we will not sit idly in the events of China's attempts to tarnish and insult our all-out efforts to help our allies; Taiwan will stand up against China's oppression and bullying to uphold our national dignity. Our technical missions, operating from a high level of professionalism, have focused on assisting our allied countries to achieve sustainable development and sought supportive measures to attain these goals. They pay attention to developments following internationalization and globalization and apply their creativity to generate innovative projects to help our allies. Their remarkable, widely recognized achievements are results of their hard work. I am immensely proud of our technical mission members whenever I hear friends from our diplomatic allies praise the contributions made by Taiwan's foreign assistance programs.
Tonight, many of you here are members of the technical missions whom I met during my trips to our diplomatic allies. My friends, the seeds you sowed all over the world have reaped great results. Your hard work and the footsteps you left behind have also brought the glory of Taiwan to countries where you worked. In you, what I see is the hope for our future. Finally, I would like to mention once again that Taiwan's humanitarian assistance has brought our allied developing countries hope and vision for a prosperous future, and that Taiwan, with courage, love and creativity, will find a place of our own on the international stage. Thank you!