President Ma Ying-jeou and Vice President Wu Den-yih invited the presidents, vice presidents, and secretaries-general of the five yuan (i.e. the five branches of the ROC government) to the Presidential Office on the afternoon of December 12 for a reception. The president and vice president exchanged opinions with the officials from the Executive Yuan, Judicial Yuan, Examination Yuan, Control Yuan, and Legislative Yuan on a broad range of topics, including revitalization of the economy, judicial reform, and reform of the nation's pension system.
In remarks, the president stated that the world's economy has been clouded by the eurozone debt crisis, which has slowed economic development in North America, Western Europe, and other countries throughout the globe. At the same time, the government here has sought to adopt market-based pricing for gasoline and electricity, re-opened Taiwan's doors to the import of US beef, and passed legislation paving the way for a resumption of a capital gains tax on securities, he said. President Ma commented that while the direction pursued by the government is the correct one, there were shortcomings in planning, implementation, and communication with the public, for which the government has been criticized. The government, he said, will humbly listen to public opinion, critically review its actions, and take prompt steps to adjust policies as appropriate.
The president recognized the efforts of the teams led by Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) and Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) in aggressively promoting various economic revitalization plans, along with efforts to continue to expand relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and between Taiwan and the rest of the world. These include the signing of pacts such as the Cross-Strait Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement and the Cross-Strait Customs Cooperation Agreement, and the commencement of a cross-strait currency clearance mechanism. He also encouraged them to continue with the work they are carrying out.
President Ma stated that during his Double Tenth National Day address this year he specifically pointed out four main directions in which the government should move, namely: reforming industrial structure and raising salary levels; eliminating investment barriers and increasing job opportunities; defending sovereignty and fishing rights, and promoting regional peace; and solidifying democracy and the rule of law, while enhancing the development of cross-strait relations. President Ma mentioned that the sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyutai Islets has generated controversy recently. He pointed out that the government embraces the viewpoint that the Diaoyutais are inherent territory of the ROC and appurtenant islands of Taiwan. The president said he also unveiled his East China Sea Peace Initiative in an effort to secure the right to speak on this issue to the international community. Although the dispute has yet to be resolved, the government, he commented, has stood up for the interests of the nation and ROC fishermen.
The president also stated that the Legislative Yuan held a special assembly in July of this year to deliberate on several major pieces of legislation, including bills that would pave the way for the import of US beef, the institution of a capital gains tax, and personnel appointments for the National Communications Commission. During the session, lawmakers also passed the Organization Act of the Ministry of National Defense, thus laying the groundwork for an all-volunteer military system. The president applauded the action taken during that special session. In addition, he also expressed his strong support for the judicial reforms that have been initiated, including promulgation of the Criminal Speedy Trial Act, adoption of a lay judge system, abolishment of the Supreme Court's confidential case assignment system, and a requirement for oral arguments to be heard in all capital punishment cases being litigated before the Supreme Court.
With respect to reform of the nation's pension system, which has been a topic closely followed by the public, the president stated, while the pension system will not generate losses prior to 2018, the government cannot put this issue on hold. He said that if the issue is not addressed now, the problem in the future will become quite serious. In light of this, the president explained, he recently specially convened a meeting with Premier Chen and Examination Yuan President Kuan Chung (關中) to jointly look into this topic. It was decided that a plan to resolve the issue will be prepared by January of next year, he said. At the same time, the government will hold over 100 seminars throughout Taiwan so officials can exchange opinions with all sectors of society and opinion leaders, he noted. The objective of this reform is aimed at ensuring ample sources of funding for the pension system, ensuring equitable treatment of different sectors of the economy, and preventing intergenerational disparity, he remarked.
President Ma also mentioned that the government has implemented two international human rights covenants. Since that time, he said, the Presidential Office Human Rights Consultative Committee has incorporated international human rights standards into domestic law, the committee recently completed Taiwan's first national human rights report, and in February of next year it will invite international human rights experts to review it. This is the first time for a national human rights report to be produced by the government here and reviewed by foreign experts, so the matter is extremely significant, he stated. President Ma also pointed out that adjustments have been made to the government's organization since the two human rights covenants were implemented. For instance, the Executive Yuan on January 1 of this year established the Department of Gender Equality, making this the ROC's first system created specifically to promote gender equality, he said. Meanwhile, the Examination Yuan in May of this year founded the Gender Equality Committee to promote gender equality policies in the national testing and civil service systems, the president commented.
President Ma stressed that while the current state of Taiwan's economy is less than ideal, economic statistics have begun pointing upward since August. He specifically pointed to modest growth in exports in September and the fact that the leading economic indicator has remained in the "yellow/blue" range. Also, according to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, while this year's economic growth rate will be only 1.13%, growth next year should rebound to 3.15%, he said.
The president expressed his stance that while the pace of Taiwan's economy is not particularly fast, the direction pursued by the Executive Yuan in adoption a variety of economic stimulus measures is the right one, and consequently these efforts will prove beneficial in boosting economic momentum. At the same time, the government will continue to strengthen external trade in order to further solidify Taiwan's economic development, he remarked.
Government leaders attending the reception included Premier Sean Chen (陳冲), Judicial Yuan President Rai Hau-min (賴浩敏), Examination Yuan President Kuan Chung (關中), Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien (王建煊), Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), Legislative Yuan Vice President Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), Judicial Yuan Vice President Su Yeong-chin (蘇永欽), Examination Yuan Vice President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖), Control Yuan Vice President Chen Jinn-lih (陳進利), Executive Yuan Secretary-General Steven S.K. Chen (陳士魁), Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Hsi-shan (林錫山), Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Jiin-fang Lin (林錦芳), Examination Yuan Secretary-General Hwang Yea-baang (黃雅榜), Control Yuan Secretary-General Chen Feng-yi (陳豐義), Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添), and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強).