President Ma Ying-jeou met with renowned Japanese management guru Dr. Kenichi Ohmae at the Presidential Office on the morning of July 21. The president, on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, extended a warm welcome to Dr. Ohmae on his visit to Taiwan.
President Ma commented that Dr. Ohmae is renowned the world over as an expert in predicting trends and as a prolific author, having already published 170 books. Each of his books sparks a wave of interest and generates a large amount of discussion. Dr. Ohmae, he noted, is visiting Taiwan this time at the invitation of the Economic Daily News to deliver a speech on "Prospect of Global Economy and Cooperation across Taiwan Straits."
The president said that he has learned a great deal from Dr. Ohmae's foresighted commentary. He said that during his tenure as Taipei City Mayor, he frequently read books authored by Dr. Ohmae, adding that Dr. Ohmae's forecasts with regards to East Asia and mainland China have been extremely valuable. Five years ago, Dr. Ohmae urged everyone to pay attention to mainland China's development, which he said happened to coincide with his own viewpoint. Therefore, after he assumed the presidency, he began to promote a series of measures to improve cross-strait relations, hoping to rapidly complete work that had not been carried out over the previous eight years. Otherwise, the president said, Taiwan would fall even further behind.
President Ma remarked that he has devoted considerable effort over the past year to rebuilding the cross-strait relationship and creating a basic foundation from which Taiwan can conduct its diplomacy, leading to even greater stability in this regard. This will enable economic activities to proceed forward smoothly without interference, he said. President Ma said he believes that the normalization of cross-strait relations also helps to create greater space for Taiwan in the international community. He said that a nation of Taiwan's size requires space and freedom in the international community. This is work that he must accomplish as the nation's head of state, he commented.
President Ma furthermore said that since his inauguration over a year ago, the government has adopted measures to improve the state of cross-strait ties, reduce tension in the Taiwan Strait, and increase the prospects for peace. Meanwhile, the nation's foreign relations have benefited, he said, with improvements in ties seen both with the ROC's diplomatic allies and countries that do not maintain formal diplomatic ties with us. Taiwan has become a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker, he said. President Ma stated that if we had not taken this route, the nation could have seen extremely serious problems amid the economic recession and financial tsunami. Taiwan is gradually emerging from the downturn and is rebounding, he said. It is precisely because of these policies that the government has faced fewer obstacles in promoting various initiatives, he added. The president said he would like to thank Dr. Ohmae for his outstanding forecasts in the past, which have provided him considerable insight.
Dr. Ohmae praised President Ma for the work he has carried out since taking office, saying that this has helped to make up for the previous blank page with regards to policy toward mainland China. Dr. Ohmae said that Taiwan has been able to take advantage of the common language and culture it shares with mainland China to establish a business network there. In the wake of the financial tsunami, mainland China has also been facing challenges associated with rising wages and declining exports. This situation will have an impact on Taiwan's economy in the short term. If Taiwan hopes to continue to maintain its strong performance, he said, it must clearly understand the changes taking place in mainland China. Taiwan can play a unique role, he added. Dr. Ohmae said he is confident that if Taiwan takes advantage of opportunities in this critical period, room exists for it to continue to be successful.