Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of April 7 with representatives of Hong Kong's King Ling Foundation for Education and Culture. The president expressed his deepest appreciation for the foundation's long-term contributions to and resolute support for the ROC, and for its assistance to ROC offices in Hong Kong.

The president recalled that in 1997 on a trip to Hong Kong he visited Tseung Kwan O to observe the scenery of Tiu Keng Leng and tour King Ling College, which was established a few years earlier by the King Ling Foundation for Education and Culture with strong support from then ROC Education Minister Mao Kao-wen. The school has exhibited excellence over the past two decades and graduated many outstanding students, the president said, adding that the school has done an excellent job of passing along the legacy of Chinese culture.

President Ma remarked that the Tiu Keng Leng district is referred to as "Little Taiwan," and used to be a bastion of resistance to communism, with ROC national flags hoisted there each October 10 to mark the ROC's National Day. The president commented that this year marks the ROC centenary, and cross-strait relations today have considerably improved, as have ties between Taiwan and Hong Kong. The president said he hopes that Chinese both at home and abroad can embrace the attitude of "ending conflict by means of reconciliation, and shifting from confrontation to negotiation" in promoting a vision that stresses peace and prosperity.

In addition to progress in cross-strait relations, the president mentioned that 113 nations and areas (accounting for 96% of all overseas destinations commonly visited by Taiwanese travelers) now provide visa-free courtesies to ROC nationals. This demonstrates that improved cross-strait relations and expanding ties with the international community are mutually reinforcing circumstances, said the president, who also stressed that in the process of strengthening cross-strait ties the government has never neglected Taiwan's ability to defend itself. He noted that Taiwan will continue to pragmatically maintain a strong defensive capability in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the public.

The delegation was led to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by foundation Chairman Hsu Lap Foo and Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chien-Min Chao to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Te-Sheng Chen.