President Ma Ying-jeou was accompanied by Vice President Wu Den-yih on the afternoon of May 21 in attending a reception for overseas compatriots returning to Taiwan to celebrate the inauguration of the 13th-term president and vice president of the ROC. During a reception arranged at the Taipei Guest House, the president expressed his gratitude to overseas compatriots for their longstanding efforts in assisting the nation in its diplomatic agenda, carrying out work related to overseas compatriot affairs, and for their enthusiasm in traveling from afar to return to Taiwan to take part in the inauguration activities.
In remarks, the president briefed to the overseas compatriots on concrete achievements during his first term in office. In terms of creating a "robust economy," the president said that Taiwan's economic growth in 2010 grew at an impressive rate of 10.72%. Even though this year the European debt crisis and other factors are impacting growth, Taiwan's economy has still maintained growth momentum. As for a "clean and competent government," the Agency Against Corruption has been created to eradicate corruption and to create an anti-corruption ethos. Meanwhile, in the area of creating a "just society," the president stated that the government has significantly increased social welfare, including the establishment of a national pension system and a pension system for the elderly. The minimum wage has been adjusted upward twice, while the range of people eligible for social assistance has been expanded and financial assistance has been increased to eight categories of underprivileged persons in an effort to reduce the gap between rich and poor. In turning to "environmental sustainability," the president said that since he took office, Taiwan's greenhouse gas emissions have for the first time exhibited negative growth, including a reduction in 2008 by 4.1% and in 2009 by 5%. As for "cross-strait peace," President Ma said that the government is resolute on defending the sovereignty of the ROC, ensuring the security of Taiwan, and promoting the interests of the public. It is working to improve cross-strait relations in order to bring peace to the Taiwan Strait and enable Taiwan to exist in a peaceful environment, which thereby will increase national competitiveness.
The president said that he is pleased to see the various policies promoted by the government gradually take effect. This, he said, has made the people of mainland China realize that Taiwan's survival is not only beneficial to the cross-strait relationship, but to the world as a whole. The president pointed out that in his inaugural address on May 20 he mentioned how the charitable and selfless work done by many people here and overseas volunteers has won respect and appreciation from other countries. Even though Taiwan is currently facing a bottleneck in its economic development and is experiencing challenges in terms of environmental protection and caring for the underprivileged, the government has every intention to continue to move forward, he emphasized. President Ma stated that he will seek to enhance Taiwan's global competitiveness during his second four years in office. This will not only help to boost Taiwan's clout in the world, but more importantly will enable the international community to realize that the ROC is a nation to be both respected by and inspiring to people around the world.
The president recalled how he was in the United States 33 years ago when US President Jimmy Carter announced the severing of diplomatic relations with the ROC and the establishment of diplomatic ties with mainland China, and how he and other students from Taiwan as well as members of the overseas compatriot community reacted in defense of the sovereignty of the ROC. He stressed that his love for his country and his devotion to this land and its people have remained unchanged through the years. The president expressed his hopes that overseas compatriots will work together with the government to make the nation an even better and more advanced place.
Vice President Wu also delivered remarks during which he said that three years ago he accepted a request by President Ma to serve as premier. In that position, he was responsible for helping to engineer an economic recovery for Taiwan, prevent the outbreak and spread of disease, and be a leader in the reconstruction work after the devastating floods and mudslides in parts of southern and eastern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Vice President Wu commented that the longstanding support provided by overseas compatriots throughout the world has created a force not only to assist the ROC in moving forward, but also to keep the ROC's sovereignty impaired and ensure the security and prosperity of Taiwan. This, the vice president said, has helped the ROC to win friendship throughout the world, thereby creating an important force in forging friendship for the ROC in the international community. Vice President Wu stated that in the future he will work hard to win the hearts of overseas compatriots and keep morale high, as well as encourage overseas compatriots and the people of Taiwan to work together to create an even better future.
Vice President Wu remarked that on May 20 he already stepped into his office at the Presidential Office and began work. In the future, he said, he will dedicate himself to assisting the president and listening carefully to the voices of the public and overseas compatriots. He added that he will examine the situations at hand and use the best of his abilities to make a contribution to ROC nationals living here and abroad, as well as overseas compatriots. Vice President Wu also expressed his hopes that everyone will continue to support President Ma who abides by his ideals, seeks to create wellbeing for Taiwan, and desires to work hand-in-hand with others to carry out reform.
Among those attending the event were Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien (王建煊), Secretary-General to the President Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源), Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添), Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission Minister Wu Ying-yih (吳英毅), Veterans Affairs Commission Minister Tseng Jing-ling (曾金陵), and Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡).