On the evening of May 20, President Ma Ying-jeou and First Lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) hosted a state banquet at the Grand Hotel in downtown Taipei for guests from countries around the world who were visiting Taiwan specially to attend the inauguration ceremonies for the 13th-term president and vice president of the ROC. President and Mrs. Ma welcomed and thanked the guests for traveling from distant places to visit Taiwan, and raised their glasses along with the guests to toast each other, wishing prosperity for all countries and long-lasting friendship and alliances between the ROC and its friends and allies.
In remarks, the president stated that the people of Taiwan on January 14 of this year went to the polls in a calm and peaceful manner to elect the 13th-term president and vice president of the ROC. President Ma said that he is deeply honored and grateful to the public for continuing to support him and place him in charge of the nation's affairs for another four years. The president said that starting from today he will continue to build on the strong foundation created in his partnership with former Vice President Vincent C. Siew and will now joint hands with Vice President Wu Den-yih to promote wellbeing for the public and prosperity for the nation. He and Vice President Wu, he said, will continue to enable Taiwan to act in the international community as a peacemaker, provider of humanitarian aid, a promoter of cultural ties, a creator of new technologies and business opportunities, and a standard-bearer of Chinese culture. This idea is to make the ROC an important asset to the international community.
The president said that the ability of the ROC to survive in the international community is not only due to its unremitting efforts, but also is the result of the support provided by international society. Consequently, the ROC has been able to play an important role as a promoter of peace and prosperity in Asia and the world, he said. Even though the ROC has encountered quite a few obstacles in the world, the nation's allies, along with support from friends at home and abroad, enable the ROC to feel that the virtuous do not stand alone. President Ma expressed his hopes that the guests will continue to speak on behalf of the ROC and work together with us to create a peaceful and prosperous international community.
President Ma also mentioned that Taiwan has long been dubbed “Formosa,” i.e. the beautiful island. Over the past four years, he said, the number of tourists visiting Taiwan has risen by about 60%, with many attracted to Taiwan's wonderful food, beautiful scenery, and good people. The president said he hopes that the guests will enjoy the banquet prepared at the Grand Hotel, which is Taiwan's oldest tourist hotel, and that they will also take this opportunity to experience Taiwan's beauty and the hospitality of the righteous and good-natured people of Taiwan. The president said that he is certain that everyone will fall in love with Taiwan and come back often.