Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of April 25 attended the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition. The president expressed his appreciation to the Taipei City government, flower farmers throughout Taiwan, government ministries and agencies, private entities, and non-governmental organizations for their joint efforts at helping the nation put on an unprecedented show of its soft power.

The president remarked that five years ago Mr. Lin Sheng-chung, Commissioner of the Taipei City Government’s Department of Economic Development, traveled to Genoa, Italy to seek the right for Taipei to hold the International Flora Expo. In November of that year, Taipei was formally notified that it had been selected as the host city. The president, who was Taipei City Mayor at the time, noted that his tenure as mayor came to a conclusion one month later and current Mayor Hau Lung-bin then took over planning, design, and execution. President Ma lauded Mayor Hau for the success of the largest international activity ever held in the ROC.

President Ma commented that the Taipei International Flora Expo was held over a six-month period and has been a showcase for Taiwan's technology, its commitment to the environment, and the strength of its cultural and creative industries, all of which constitute the pride of Taiwan. Even more, this was the largest and longest-running international activity ever held in the ROC. The expo attracted huge numbers of visitors and offered an unprecedented display of Taiwan's soft power. President Ma further said that the cooperation and coordination among many parties during the event sets an excellent precedent that could be followed in the holding of other such large-scale events in the future. President Ma expressed his hope that Taiwan will have even more opportunities to exhibit its soft power in the future and further boost the international visibility of the ROC.