Vice President Chen meets "Mosaic Taiwan 2017 fellows"
On the morning of June 7, Vice President Chen Chien-jen met with "Mosaic Taiwan 2017 fellows." The vice president expressed hope that the visitors would share their adventures and stories in Taiwan after they returned to their home countries. He also called for frequent visits between young people worldwide.
A transcript of the vice president's remarks is as follows:
Good morning everybody! It is really a great pleasure for me to welcome you, this year's Mosaic Taiwan fellows, on behalf of our entire government and people.
I must say, I am very excited to meet with you. Your energy and passion for public affairs brings back memories of my time in the US, studying for my PhD at Johns Hopkins University.
It actually took me four years, and four tries at the examination for studying abroad held by the Ministry of Education. At that time I had to get scholarship before going to the United States. Going to the US and being among young leaders similar to you changed my life a lot.
So I hope that these two weeks in Taiwan have been rewarding for all of you. There is quite a lot happening in our country, such as the recent court ruling on same-sex marriage you might hear of it.
And I think you saw for yourself how extreme the weather here can be – I hope you all stayed safe and dry during the weekend.
I believe you also learned a bit more about the rather challenging diplomatic situation that Taiwan is in. We were not able to attend the recent World Health Assembly, and this is rather ridiculous.
Since 1996, Taiwan has contributed six billion US dollars in medical and humanitarian assistance to more than 80 countries worldwide.
And we have brought prevention and treatment programs to fight major diseases in more than 20 countries. And dating back to 2006, we have sent over 100 mobile medical missions to serve more than 150,000 people in 20-plus countries.
Despite all that, and for purely political reasons, Taiwan has been prevented from accessing the latest medical information, or from sharing our own experience and know-how with the world. This creates a dangerous gap in the global disease prevention network.
What we do appreciate, however, is the support we have gotten from countries like the US and Canada.
Our countries share a lot of commercial and security interests of course, but what really bind us together are the values we share, like freedom, democracy, human rights, and the way we embrace diversity.
And I do not mention them lightly. Taiwan had to go through long periods of struggle, with many people losing their lives, for us to enjoy these freedoms today. So we have a unique appreciation for our common values.
Looking to the future, I think that one of the best things we can do for our relationship, and for the world, would be to have more of our young people visit each other, so that they can create ideas, work on projects together, or simply to hang out.
After all, good things tend to happen when idealistic young leaders mingle with each other. So, let me once again congratulate each of you for completing the two-week fellowship program.
I hope that when you get back home, you will share your adventures and stories – from the amazing to the strange.
Let me end my remarks here, and perhaps you can tell me some of the coolest and most surprising things you have learned here? Thank you again for visiting the Office of the President.