President Tsai's remarks at 2016 APICTA Awards
On the afternoon of December 5, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered a speech at the 2016 APICTA (Asia Pacific ICT Alliance) Awards.
A transcript of the president's remarks follows:
APICTA Chairperson Dileepa de Silva;
Members of APICTA Executive Committee;
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Jong-Chin Shen (沈榮津);
Chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) of the Taipei Computer Association;
Dear Guests:
Good afternoon. It is great to be here with you!
First I would like to thank the APICTA Executive Committee for supporting Taiwan to obtain, for the first time, the opportunity to host the APICTA Awards.
We are all very thrilled to see the success of this year’s Awards, made possible by meticulous planning and teamwork between the Executive Committee, our Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Taipei Computer Association. We are equally thrilled to have so many innovative companies and teams here in one room. Like all of you, I have no idea who the winners are.
Still, I want to congratulate in advance not only the winners, but everybody who has participated in this great competition.
Hosting these awards is especially meaningful for Taiwan, for many reasons. For one, ASEAN and South Asia have a strong presence in APICTA, and right now my government is making great efforts to build stronger ties with these regions.
APICTA members are also the world’s most promising digital economies, while Taiwan is investing heavily in smart technologies like Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things. We are eager to partner with you, and I hope the outstanding performance by teams from Taiwan has made it clear that they would be ideal partners for you in developing products and markets. As I speak, the Taiwan government is expanding public investment, so that our domestic market can underpin strong growth in smart industries. Even more importantly, we are actively adjusting and loosening regulations.
We will do everything we can to create the best environment for innovators and entrepreneurs like you. I would like to invite all of you, and all companies and teams around the world, to come to Taiwan and make this your base to create, innovate, and start new ventures.
I know everyone is eager to learn the results of the competition, so I will close here by again congratulating APICTA, the organizing partners, and everyone who took part.
This is much more than a competition, it is a platform for us to spark new ideas, forge new partnerships, and undertake bold ventures that move our world forward.
Thank you all.