President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of September 25 with renowned Japanese strategist and management guru Dr. Kenichi Ohmae. In addition to congratulating Dr. Ohmae on the founding of a Taiwan chapter of the Japanese study group Koken-Kai, which Dr. Ohmae leads, the president also explained the determination of the government to promote economic growth amid the global economic downturn.
In remarks, the president stated that Dr. Ohmae is a globally renowned strategist and trend guru. He is also the leader of the Koken-Kai, which annually sends members to countries around the world to meet with individuals in political and business circles to discuss their observations on trends. Dr. Ohmae, he said, is visiting Taiwan this time at the invitation of Theodore M.H. Huang (黃茂雄), Honorary Chairman of the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce, to take part in the founding of the Taiwan chapter of the Koken-Kai. The president said he hopes the local chapter will learn from the model of its Japanese parent and develop a broad understanding of the state of development throughout the world. The results of this research will serve as reference for Taiwan's corporate sector, he added.
President Ma stated that the eurozone debt crisis has yet to run its course, and that economic growth in the United States and other countries remains weak. The economic performance of emerging nations in Asia, which had been quite strong earlier, has even begun to wane, he pointed out. President Ma commented that the World Trade Organization previously reduced its forecast for global economic growth for this year to 2.5% from a prediction of 3.7% made in April. This is less than half the average rate over the past 20 years, which indicates that the economic slowdown this year will be even more severe than four years ago during the financial tsunami, he said.
The president stated that facing a worsening external economic conditions, the ROC must work even harder to improve its infrastructure, so that its pace of growth will be even faster when the economic recovery arrives. The government is therefore stepping up promotion of domestic infrastructure projects, and also has unveiled an economic stimulus plan. These measures are designed to expand exports, spur transformation of domestic industry, boost the recruitment and retention of talent, and enable the government to work more effectively, he said. In addition, the president explained, the ROC is engaged in negotiations with Singapore and New Zealand on economic cooperation agreements, and results can be expected by the end of this year. He also remarked that obstacles to the resumption of negotiations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between Taiwan and the US have been eliminated, and that it is hoped that talks under the TIFA will resume as soon as possible. Meanwhile, follow-up consultations under the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) are being carried out, and it is hoped that Taiwan and mainland China will reach agreement on trade in services this year, with further breakthroughs on trade in goods next year, the president said.
President Ma emphasized that Taiwan and Japan last year signed the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, which is the first accord of its kind between the two countries in the past 60 years. This agreement will make Japanese companies more willing to invest in Taiwan, and to take advantage of the ECFA to use Taiwan as a springboard from which to export products to mainland China, he said. The president expressed his hopes that in the future Japan's technology and Taiwan's production resources can be combined to generate new business opportunities and growth possibilities.
The president and Dr. Ohmae then exchanged opinions on a broad range of topics, including Japan's economy, nuclear power policies, and reconstruction work in the wake of the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Dr. Ohmae and Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce Honorary Chairman Huang were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Tsao-shan Chou (周作姍), chief secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進).