President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of August 23 attended the Youth Policy Forum's 2015 National Conference, where he heard about the research achievements of 10 teams that won a policy research competition. After offering comments on each project, the president personally issued certificates of merit and award money to representatives of the winning teams. During his in-depth dialogue with the participants, the president applauded the enthusiasm and creativity exhibited by youth who participate in public policy.
In remarks, the president stated that in 2008 when he was running for president, his youth policy encouraged young people to participate in public affairs. Beginning in 2009 after he took office, the government began holding the Youth Policy Forum and the Youth Policy Proposal Competition, as well as activities empowering youth to engage in face-to-face dialogue with government leaders and put policy research into practice. The president pointed out that since 2009, a total of 428 teams, including 1,940 individuals, have taken part in the Youth Policy Proposal Competition, and that 85% of their policy suggestions have been referenced by the government in designing policies.
The president offered comments on the research achievements of the 10 teams. As for one project that urges the government to help give young people opportunities to experience life abroad, the president said that since taking office his administration has worked actively with many countries on negotiating and signing youth working holiday agreements. Currently, 13 countries, including Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom, have signed such agreements with the ROC. In fact, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has convened meetings with the relevant ministries to promote reforms in the youth working holiday programs, and this particular team has forwarded a well thought-out plan for MOFA's reference.
The president also addressed one project aimed at realizing the ROC's diplomatic goals by promoting the Chinese language. He said that Chinese language teachers from the ROC teach orthodox Chinese characters, while teachers from mainland China use simplified characters. Over the course of two waves of reform of Chinese characters, mainland China has simplified about 2,200 characters, about a quarter or one-third of the 6,000 to 8,000 most commonly used characters. Among the simplified characters, less than 500 have been changed completely. Consequently, there are very few people who have studied orthodox characters but can't recognize simplified characters. In addition, MOFA has established a variety of scholarships for foreign students to come to Taiwan to study Chinese. The textbooks for overseas compatriots are printed in orthodox characters, but also include notes indicating their simplified forms, thus facilitating learning. The president pointed out that over 1.3 billion people throughout the world use the simplified characters developed in mainland China, while less than 40 million people use orthodox characters, with over half of those people in Taiwan. In light of this situation, how to promote the teaching of orthodox characters has become an important issue.
The president also mentioned that he led a congratulatory delegation to the Holy See to attend the Papal inauguration of Pope Francis. While the prayer used during that ceremony contained a total of 27 Chinese characters, only three were simplified characters. This shows that while some frequently used characters have been simplified, they are still easy to recognize. At the same time, the original form of the vast majority of Chinese characters has been preserved, he said.
President Ma noted that in 2012, the General Association of Chinese Culture compiled the Cross-Strait Common Vocabulary Dictionary, which provides a comparison of orthodox and simplified characters, along with a comparison of commonly used vocabulary as a reference. The president feels that the best way to resolve the dispute between the two types of characters is to use them together, side by side. Taiwan is where orthodox characters are most frequently used, and there is no reason to switch to using simplified characters just for mainland Chinese tourists. Doing so would also deprive mainlanders of an opportunity to come to understand orthodox characters, said the president.
The president also commented on a project titled "Establish highway bus stops to open a new era in Taiwan transportation—making the Greater Taipei commuter network a model." The president stated that in the morning he was in Pingtung County to attend the opening ceremony of the electrified, elevated railway line between Pingtung and Chaozhou. The railway between Pingtung and Chaozhou has already been elevated, much like an MRT line, to enable operation at greater speeds, and the president said that he is confident that the number of commuters throughout Taiwan will increase when the entire railroad network is electrified. In the past, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) experienced a decline in passengers due to the introduction of the Taiwan High Speed Rail. The ridership on TRA trains has begun to grow again in recent years, proving that "Where there is a will there is a way." The president said that this particular team's project could be carried out by related ministries on a small-scale trial basis, after which it would be assessed to determine whether it would be promoted. In addition, the president said that two proposals regarding "priority seats" and encouraging reading on trains will be forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to be implemented on a trial basis, after which they can be evaluated for further promotion.
The president also responded to the project of "Furthest distance, Closest care—the application of telemedical care." He said that when he was the mayor of Taipei City, Taipei and Matsu Island cooperated on telemedical care. This project team has integrated Taiwan's technology and medical care resources, and the president mentioned he asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare to evaluate the project. There was also a proposal aimed at creating a "living museum" on Toad Mountain. The president pointed out that Treasure Hill in Taipei was turned into an international artist village when he was mayor, and that this experience will serve as a reference in preserving the Toad Mountain village.
The president also said he hopes that the National Development Council (NDC) will engage in discussion with the team that presented the project about integrating entrepreneurship with ecology to promote economic growth, noting that the NDC already has concrete ideas on this. As for the proposal about integrating youth, fisheries, art and talent for Taixi Township in Yunlin County using Haikou Village as a model, the president suggested that the NDC use a wide variety of marketing avenues to revitalize the economy in Taixi Township, so as to promote industrial development. As for a shoreline greenification project, the president said that proposal could possibly be promoted in tandem with the Rural Rejuvenation Project and the Small Landlords, Big Tenant Farmers project, which he is confident would be conducive to the diversified development of the area.