President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 15 at the Presidential Office with participants in the 2010 Mongolian Judges Judicial Training Program, and extended a warm welcome to them on behalf of the government and people of the ROC.
President Ma said that since Mongolia's adoption of democracy, ties between the ROC and Mongolia have grown broader, and are particularly close in the areas of cultural and educational exchanges, training of international trade professionals, and student exchanges. The president stated that the ROC has been very heartened to see Mongolia strengthen the rule of law and set about training judges since turning to democracy. As Mongolia moves toward the rule of law, the ROC stands ready to provide support in any way possible.
The president noted that this year marks the fourth year that the training program has been held. He commented that the program has been quite successful and carries deep significance. It also marks an important milestone in the history of the ROC's judiciary system, which is based on civil law and began to undergo major changes in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In 1929 the ROC formally introduced a Civil Code based on Germany's, and promulgated a similarly inspired Criminal Code six years later. After World War II, the ROC's legal system came to be deeply influenced by the common law model as a result of increasingly close ties with the United States. He expressed his confidence that this opportunity for discussions between the judicial personnel of Mongolia and the ROC will deepen the bilateral relations.
President Ma also pointed out that Taiwan has been carrying out judicial reform work for a number of years. He said that after the nominees for president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan take office in the coming October, they will implement a new round of reforms. He said he hopes the visitors will take advantage of their time in Taiwan not only to hone their professional expertise, but also to interact with members of the public and develop an understanding of the public's impression of Taiwan's judiciary.
The visiting group was led to the Presidential Office in the morning by Erdenechuluun Dashzeveg, Head of Judicial Administration of Mongolia's Supreme Court, to meet President Ma. ROC Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission Minister Kao Su-po and National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin also attended the meeting.