President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of November 28 was accompanied by Vice President Vincent C. Siew in meeting with the ROC (Taiwan) delegation that attended the 2008 APEC Economic Leaders' Week. At the Presidential Office, President Ma expressed his appreciation to National Policy Foundation (NPF) Chairman Lien Chan, who attended this year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on behalf of President Ma. President Ma congratulated NPF Chairman Lien and the delegation on the completion of a successful mission, saying that their efforts have helped to significantly elevate Taiwan's position in the Asia-Pacific region.
President Ma noted that Chairman Lien not only attended the informal economic leader's meeting, but also was present at a number of meetings with leaders of APEC member nations. This has substantially helped boost Taiwan's visibility in the international arena and has enabled the international community to realize Taiwan as a force that cannot be neglected in East Asia. The nation's public should be quite encouraged by this result, he said.
Chairman Lien said the delegation was fully devoted to accomplishing its mission. Thanks to the careful preparation of information by various agencies in the run-up to the meetings, he said he was able to speak on behalf of President Ma on all the issues tabled. The declaration issued by those attending the meetings indicated a high degree of consensus among the participants. While the attention to specific issues may vary among each country, he said, the group was united with regards to the directions to be taken. This was especially the case with regards to the financial crisis currently impacting the world. All the participants declared that the 21 member entities of APEC should not adopt measures that could inhibit free trade. In addition, the participants expressed their determination to resolve the financial crisis within 18 months, he said. Chairman Lien furthermore said that since APEC member entities account for half of the world's trade, the determination exhibited by the participants in the meetings with regards to maintaining free trade is extremely significant.
Chairman Lien said the relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait was also a topic about which businessmen are concerned. US President George W. Bush was among the leaders who shared the mainstream opinion that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait should not be changed unilaterally. With this in mind, the participants expressed that they are pleased to see that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are now heading along a path that stresses stability, peace and cooperation. Chairman Lien said that in addition to the formal bilateral discussions held, he took advantage of the opportunity to engage in fairly lengthy discussions with the majority of leaders at the summit. He said they all were pleased to see the new state of affairs and prospects in the Taiwan Strait.
President Ma responded by saying that Chairman Lien's trip was extremely important with regards to the nation's diplomacy as well as publicizing Taiwan in the international community. The president lauded Chairman Lien for taking the hopes of the public with him to Peru and bringing honor back with him to Taiwan. President Ma expressed his gratitude to the heads of various government agencies and employees in those units for their hard work.