President Chen Shui-bian this afternoon received a delegation of board members and teachers from three Chinese schools in Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka, and extended his gratitude toward their efforts in promoting exchanges between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Japan.
Excerpts of the President's speech:
Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Japan, statistics show that Japanese travelers to Taiwan will exceed 1.1 million by the end of this year and the Taiwanese who visit Japan will be over 1.3 million. Bilateral trade will surpass US$60 billion, with Japan becoming Taiwan's trading partner with the largest surplus. This close, vibrant relationship between the two nations is the hard-earned result of each of you who lives in Japan. The close ties will never be possible without your efforts.
"Democracy, liberty, and human rights" are the universal values of the world, and the goals which I've never given up. I want to take this opportunity to ask that you teach your students about those basic values of "democracy, liberty, and human rights." These are the values that have helped Taiwan and Japan alike, and are the beliefs that have connected Taiwan to the world. I hope that our Taiwanese nationals in Japan to be proud of our country, and that the world to be proud of Taiwan.