President Ma Ying-jeou attended a reception held on the afternoon of August 19 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recognize NGOs, companies, and individuals for the humanitarian aid they provided to Japan after the earthquake and tsunami that took place there in March. The president remarked that their generous donations put the ROC in the global spotlight. He saluted the audience and called on the people of Taiwan to come together to help build Taiwan into a "provider of humanitarian aid."
In remarks to the gathering, the president said that immediately after the March 11 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, the ROC government announced that it was donating NT$100 million to Japan. At the same time, Taiwan dispatched rescue teams to its northern neighbor and began collecting material goods to be distributed there. To this point, the private sector has donated over NT$6.6 billion, making Taiwan the biggest donor of funds to Japan in both absolute and per capita terms, he said. In response to the donations and concern, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued an open letter expressing his thanks and specially used the word "Kizuna"—the bonds of friendship—in thanking Taiwan for the assistance. Meanwhile, Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives Seishiro Eto, House of Representatives Member Yuriko Koike, and other members of the ruling and opposition parties from Japan personally came to Taiwan to express their gratitude. Although diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed nearly 40 years ago, the president commented that the interaction over the past five months points to the lasting friendship between Taiwan and Japan.
President Ma emphasized that the ROC will continue to play the role of a "peacemaker," and will also work towards its objective of being a "provider of humanitarian aid." The ROC hopes that the world community will realize that the existence of the ROC is an asset to the world and not a liability, he added.
The president also specially expressed his admiration for the calm, order, and unity displayed by the Japanese people after the disaster, along with the professionalism and restraint shown by Japan's media. President Ma thanked all private organizations here for their donations to Japan. This good will raises the ROC's visibility in international community.
After completing his remarks, the president presented certificates to government agencies, companies, groups, and individuals in recognition of their contributions to relations between the two countries.