President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of December 10 attended ceremonies kicking off Taiwan's "Year of Design" and the 2010 Taiwan Design Expo. The "Year of Design" is being organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and held as a part of the nation's centenary festivities. The president announced winners of the 2010 Golden Pin Design Award, inaugurated the "Year of Design," and called for design to take root and expand throughout Taiwan.
President Ma said that the last several Taipei mayors have been working on relocation plans for the Songshan Tobacco Factory, and today the area has been converted into a cultural park. The president said he has very high expectations for the park, and noted that Taiwan has long demonstrated excellence in R&D and innovation. For instance, in October of this year, inventors from Taiwan captured 27 gold medals, 32 silvers, and 23 bronzes at the 2010 iENA, International Trade Fair for "Ideas-Inventions-New Products" in Nuremberg, claiming the team championship for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Taiwan ranked 13th among the 139 economic entities covered in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011, which was released in September 2010. Taiwan placed seventh in the category of innovation, he noted, adding that Taiwan was first in the number of utility patents per million population. These statistics indicate the world's high esteem for Taiwan's innovation prowess, he stated.
President Ma furthermore commented that next year marks the ROC's centenary and the 2011 International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress will be held here. It was in preparation for the IDA Congress that the Ministry of Economic Affairs changed the name of the Taiwan Design Award in 2009 to the Golden Pin Design Award to accentuate the international character of the awards and make them a globally accepted benchmark for excellence in innovative design. The president said that this initiative is also aimed at further promoting innovation in Taiwan and building the nation into a global center for innovation.
The president further remarked that Taiwan is on the verge of becoming an economic and trade hub in the Asia-Pacific thanks to the signing of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, the commencement of direct flights between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, and the possibility of direct flights between Songshan Airport and Seoul's Gimpo International Airport in the future. Therefore, Taiwan must further upgrade its design prowess to enhance the nation's competitiveness, he said. It is with this in mind that the government in May of this year passed the Act for Industrial Innovation, which will encourage innovation in the industrial, agricultural, service and high-tech sectors. While Taiwan lacks natural resources and is subject to frequent national disasters, he remarked that it is such a power house in so many ways that it cannot go unnoticed on the international stage.
President Ma expressed his hope that Taiwan in the future will act in the international community as a peacemaker, provider of humanitarian aid, promoter of cultural ties, and creator of new technologies and business opportunities. Taiwan will rely on its inventiveness, creativity, compassion, and sincerity to win respect throughout the world, he said. The president added that he hopes that the holding of this activity will enable Taiwan to continue to radiate its brilliance and become an "island of innovative design."
After concluding his remarks, President Ma was accompanied by Minister of Economic Affairs Yen-Shiang Shih and Taiwan Design Center Chairman Wang Chih-kang on a tour of several exhibits and pavilions at the expo. The president applauded the enormous creativity on display there.