President Chen Shui-bian on November 12 at the Presidential Office met with Japanese guests in Taiwan to attend the 27th Taiwan-Japan Colloquium on Technical Engineering.
President Chen said that the conference offers an opportunity for outstanding engineers from the two nations to come together and share with others what they have learned. The president said the conference has become an influential international seminar. Conference participants discuss a variety of topics, including several basic infrastructures as well as the latest development in the industry. The president said the meetings held help to boost wellbeing for the people of Taiwan and Japan, and they are important in boosting the national competitiveness of each country.
President Chen furthermore expressed his hope that Taiwan can have the opportunity to join more international organizations, more than just tourism or economic and trade-related bodies. He said he has no doubt that if Taiwan has broader exchanges with the international community, Taiwan will maximize its resources to assist in the development of regional health, security and peace. He said this would also offer Taiwan a chance to expand its trade exchanges and foster social development in neighboring countries, including Japan. The president added that this is why Taiwan is trying to join the United Nations, the World Health Organization and other international institutions under the name "Taiwan."