President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of January 9 with a delegation from the Center for International Studies at the University of St. Thomas (located in Houston, Texas). The delegation was accompanied by participants in the Young Talent Program, a leadership training initiative organized by the Cabinet-level Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC). The president welcomed the visitors to Taiwan and called for continued enhancement of interaction and cooperation between the youth of the two nations.
In remarks, President Ma noted that Director Hans Stockton of the Center for International Studies is leading a group of 14 students who are currently enrolled in a course of study on contemporary Taiwan. During their stay in Taiwan, they will have an opportunity to interact with counterparts here, the president said, adding that the visitors will be able to gain a better understanding of Taiwan's politics, economy, and culture.
In discussing international youth exchanges, the president mentioned that he himself was invited over 30 years ago to take part in a program in the United States sponsored by the Department of State, during which he visited over 20 American universities and came to understand the enormous benefit of interaction among youth from different countries. In an effort to encourage youth from Taiwan to study overseas, he stated, during his campaign for the presidency in 2008 he unveiled the so-called "10,000 galloping horses" international youth exchange program, which provided 10,000 opportunities for the youth of Taiwan to pursue their studies overseas, so as to expand the international perspective of Taiwan's younger people.
President Ma stated that the OCAC began working with the Center for International Studies from the University of St. Thomas in 2011 to develop an international affairs curriculum for students from vocational and technical institutes in Taiwan, and 77 Taiwanese students have completed their training under this program so far. The president mentioned that some of the students said their participation in the program broadened their international perspectives and will have a positive impact on their future careers.
President Ma stated that in order to continue to expand interaction among youth from Taiwan and other countries, the government has signed working holiday agreements with Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Belgium. In addition, Taiwan has also expanded its efforts to recruit foreign students to study here, he said. Prior to 2007, he noted, the number of foreign students studying in Taiwan stood at over 30,000, which included only 800 mainland Chinese students at the time. As of last year, though, the number of foreign students engaged in coursework here had more than doubled to over 78,000. Meanwhile, the number of mainland Chinese students studying here had increased 30-fold to 24,000, he stated. The government has set a goal to further increase the number of foreign students studying here in 2020 to 150,000, which by that time would constitute 10% of the total number of students in our universities and colleges, he remarked. This will help build up Taiwan as an Asia-Pacific hub for higher education, the president added.
President Ma emphasized that strengthening interaction among youth fosters greater appreciation for other cultures among students while helping the government promote "people-to-people diplomacy" and familiarizing foreigners with Taiwan's natural beauty and many unique features. This is the best way to promote Taiwan, he added.