President Ma Ying-jeou delivered an address on the morning of December 2 at the opening ceremony of the 2010 ASOCIO (Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization) ICT Summit. In his remarks, the president congratulated ASOCIO on the fine job it has done in providing a platform for cooperation and interchange between ICT (information and communications technology) firms in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. He also expressed the hope that Taiwan can take advantage of its technological prowess to become a major power in the area of ICT applications.
President Ma pointed out that ICT infrastructure and the development of information technology applications have always been key focal points of the government's economic policy. Taiwan's highly efficient hardware manufacturers are in a position to integrate their globally placed resources, and thus play a pivotal role in the global ICT industry. The president remarked that the nation hosted the 2000 World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in Taipei, which attracted more than 800 noted IT professionals from around the globe. The ASOCIO ICT Summit was last held in Taipei 16 years ago, and the president said it was very meaningful to be able to play host once again, with over 500 movers and shakers from the Asia-Pacific ICT industry here in town for this year's event, and more than 2,000 in all expected to attend. In addition, the president noted that the APEC Digital Opportunity Center, an undertaking initiated by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, has achieved significant progress in its work to bridge the digital divide in the Pacific rim and Southeast Asia, and for this work the World Information Technology and Services Alliance has granted Taiwan the Chairman's Award, which is one of its Global ICT Excellence Awards. In the meantime, the Taipei City Government has also received ASOCIO's Metro-ICT Best Practice Award for its excellent work to promote Taipei's development as a "smart city." All of these achievements, said the president, highlight the high regard in which the international community holds Taiwan's outstanding ICT sector.
President Ma stressed that the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement last June has accelerated the pace of Taiwan's integration into the international economy, placed cross-strait economic and trade ties on a more systematic footing, and moved Taiwan closer to its goal of becoming a global center for innovation, an economic and trade hub in the Asia-Pacific, a global operations headquarters for Taiwan companies, and a regional headquarters for foreign firms. In this regard, he expressed his hope that enhanced international ties will present Taiwan firms with a golden opportunity to take part in the process of regional integration, network throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and position themselves globally.
For more than two years now, said the president, in order to spur industrial innovation, his administration has promoted green energy, medicine and healthcare, biotechnology, high-end agriculture, tourism, and the cultural and creative industries—Taiwan's "six major emerging industries." At the same time, the government is also promoting Taiwan's "four key smart industries," namely, cloud computing, smart electric vehicles, smart green buildings, and patents. The president remarked that Taiwan is already very competitive in the ICT industry (telecommunications, information, photovoltaics, and semiconductors), and now he hopes to see further development in information services, software, and other areas of so-called "soft industry." He also wants to see Taiwan's industries provide higher value-added content and reap the benefits of synergy that would follow upon the integration of Taiwan's strengths in software and hardware. Taiwan need not be content with being a major manufacturer of IT products, said the president, but can also be big in applications.