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        <title>Office of the President, Republic of China(Taiwan)</title>
        <link>http://www.president.gov.tw/en/</link>
        <language>en-us</language>
        <description>Office of the President, Republic of China(Taiwan)</description>
        <lastBuildDate>Nov 20, 2008 20:00:41 GMT+0800</lastBuildDate>
        <ttl>20</ttl>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Attends "Business Roundtable with the Government of Taiwan" ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 18, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499839&pre_id=1105499839&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of November 18 was invited to attend the "Business Roundtable with the Government of Taiwan" that was held by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The president explained to the participants the status of Taiwan's political and economic situation. President Ma stressed that Taiwan's economic fundamentals are strong. In addition, it holds an advantageous location in the center of East Asia. The president extended a welcome to companies from throughout the world to invest here.  President Ma said that Taiwan's economy has come to a crossroads and 2008 has been a year full of challenges for Taiwan. The financial crisis has expanded from the United States to impact Taiwan, he said. The president said that the crisis in the global financial system since 1929 and it is having an enormous impact on the world's banking system. The impact of this crisis on the economy is nothing short of the influence that the industrial revolution had on the economic environment.  As for the role that Taiwan plays in the global economy, President Ma especially stressed the objective to transform Taiwan into a global center for innovation, an economic and trade hub in the Asia-Pacific and an operations headquarters for Taiwan companies.  The president said that in light of Taiwan's external trade feeling the impact of the global financial crisis, the government has amended its economic strategy to focus on sparking domestic demand. He said the i-Taiwan 12 Projects that he first floated in September of last year were drawn up without anticipating the impact of the global financial tsunami. At the same time, he said, he already realized that Taiwan needed to upgrade its infrastructure. However, with the unfolding of the financial tsunami, this has put even more importance on fully moving ahead with the i-Taiwan 12 Projects. He said that the projects can commence as soon as related budgets are approved by the Legislative Yuan.   With regards to improving cross-strait relations, President Ma stressed that this was a focal point of his campaign platform. Since taking office on May 20, many steps have been taken to fulfill this objective, he said. For instance, in order to improve cross-strait transportation links, the previous administration had helped institute charter flights during major holidays throughout the year. In July of this year, however, the new government was instrumental in expanding this to charter flights during the weekends. The president said that the recently signed agreements with counterparts on the other side of the Taiwan Strait will pave the way for charter flights during weekdays. He said that it is hoped that within the coming six months, these charter flights will be changed into scheduled flights. The president said that agreements between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have helped reduce tensions between Taiwan and Mainland China, which has significantly reduced trade risks. He said Taiwan's standing in a report by BERI on investment environment risk has improved as a result. While Taiwan was ranked 15th in January, its place had jumped to 5th in September. Taiwan is offering a safer investment environment, and a more peaceful climate between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is good news for neighboring Japan as well as the United States. President Ma stressed that the ROC (Taiwan) government will continue to strive to foster a sustained peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.    President Ma also addressed the issue of whether Taiwan could be left out amid the development of ASEAN. The president said that 2015 could mark the beginning of the world's largest free trade zone when ASEAN countries open their borders to free trade with each other. Products that Taiwan sells to Mainland China could as a result face restrictions and high tariffs. Over the past eight years, Taiwan and ASEAN nations have not made progress in signing free trade agreements. However, the president said he is confident that with the improvement in ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, this will help Taiwan to avoid the danger of being left out of the ASEAN free trade zone.   President Ma reiterated that Taiwan boasts strong economic fundamentals. He pointed out that the country has foreign exchange reserves of US$280 billion and no foreign debt. It also has a savings rate of 29.5% (with 9 percentage points of this being excess savings that could be used for investment or consumption). Taiwan's inflation rate has been maintained at a relatively stable 3% and the banking system is flush with liquidity. Even with the challenges facing Taiwan, the nation's economic foundations remain stable, he said. The president added that Taiwan has an advantageous geographic location, being situated at the center of East Asia. The island is on average about 3.5 hours by flight from the capitals or major cities in the region, while it takes about 33 hours by vessel to reach key cities or ports. Taiwan, President Ma said, is the best place to invest, and he extended open arms to companies from throughout the world to invest in Taiwan.   ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
            <guid><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499839&pre_id=1105499839&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Meets US State of Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 18, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499840&pre_id=1105499840&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of November 18 at the Presidential Office met with US State of Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle. President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a warm welcome to Governor Lingle.  President Ma commented that this is the second visit by Governor Lingle to Taiwan, the previous one being seven years ago. This also marks the third meeting between the two. The last time they met was in January 2003. At the time, he said, Governor Lingle had just assumed the governorship of Hawaii. Meanwhile, President Ma, who then was Taipei mayor, was the first foreign dignitary that Governor Lingle met in office.  President Ma said that Taiwan and Hawaii maintain close interaction and exchanges. He said that the Taiwan film Cape No. 7 won Best Narrative Film at the Hawaii Film Festival. The president also noted that Governor Lingle supports Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly and World Health Organization. He expressed his appreciation to her for her support in this regard. President Ma said that while he is aware that Governor Lingle faced some hurdles ahead of making this visit to Taiwan, the obstacles were able to be overcome. He said this demonstrates the deep friendship between Taiwan and Hawaii.   President Ma also said Taiwan and Hawaii share a long history of strong relations. He noted that the ROC's founding father Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Honolulu established the Revive China Society, which dates back 114 years. He said that Dr. Sun is revered by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The president added that a bronze statue of Dr. Sun was just last week returned to its historical position in the Entrance Hall in the Presidential Building. The president said that Dr. Sun studied at two high schools in Hawaii and looked upon Hawaii as his home away from home.   Governor Lingle thanked President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with her. She and the president exchanged opinions on the development of the new energy industry, the global financial crisis, and the improvement in cross-strait relations.  Governor Lingle was joined by Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism Director Theodore Em-Po Liu and University of Hawaii at Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Ching-shan Hou. Also in attendance was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ho Szu-yin. ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
            <guid><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499840&pre_id=1105499840&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Meets Carnegie Endowment for International Peace President Jessica Tuchman Mathews and Vice President for Studies Douglas Paal ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 14, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499838&pre_id=1105499838&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of November 14 at the Presidential Office met with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace President Jessica Tuchman Mathews and Vice President for Studies Douglas Paal. The Carnegie Endowment is an American think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C.  President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a warm welcome and expressed gratitude to the visitors for their trip to Taiwan.  President Ma said that he and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace have had many contacts over the years. He commented that the visitors are experts on China issues and Taiwan issues, and that he is quite honored to be able to meet with them at the Presidential Building.  President Ma expressed his hopes that during their stay in Taiwan, the visitors will obtain a further understanding of the changes that have taken place between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since the new administration here took office. He also said he hopes they will grasp the impact of these changes in Taiwan internally. Over the past half year, the atmosphere in the Taiwan Strait has gradually become more peaceful, he said. While the government is cautiously optimistic with regards to the direction of its policies, there are still a number of challenges that must be overcome. President Ma said that goodwill is being seen in the cross-strait relationships, and the two sides are gradually forming a consensus on various issues and developing mutual trust. While this trust is still quite fragile in some respects, the situation is clearly improved compared with a half year ago, he said.  President Ma stressed that with the improvement in relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, signs of strengthened ties are also being seen between Taiwan and the United States, Japan, the European Union and Southeast Asian countries. After all, he said, Taiwan's objective is peace. There is no country that does not desire to see peace maintained in the Taiwan Strait, the president said. Everyone realizes that there are two potential flashpoints in East Asia, he said. One is on the Korean Peninsula, while the other is in the Taiwan Strait. Progress toward peace in the Taiwan Strait has enabled many nations to breathe easier, he said. President Ma noted that an extremely important objective of his presidency has been to turn Taiwan into a peacemaker. Taiwan and nearby areas will benefit if Taiwan proves successful in this role, he said. This will also enable many friends and allies to benefit, creating a situation in which everyone wins, the president said.   Carnegie Endowment for International Peace President Mathews, Vice President for Studies Paal and Board of Trustees members Robert Carswell, Robert Legvold and Stapleton Roy, along with Vice President for External Relations Kathleen Gerard met with President Ma at the Presidential Office in the morning. Also in attendance was National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi.  ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
            <guid><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499838&pre_id=1105499838&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Meets ROC Delegation to 2008 APEC Leaders Summit ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 13, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499837&pre_id=1105499837&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of November 13 at the Presidential Office met with the delegation that will represent the nation at the 2008 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. The president expressed his gratitude to National Policy Foundation (NPF) Chairman Lien Chan for representing him and the nation at the forum. The president also thanked all the members of the delegation heading to the event for their hard work. He wished them success on their journey and hopes they will earn more respect for Taiwan.  President Ma said that NPF Chairman Lien, who will represent the ROC (Taiwan) at the meeting, has in the past held many important public positions and has an enormous amount of experience. In addition, when he served as premier, Chairman Lien was responsible for proposing the plan to create Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific Regional Operations Center, which conforms to the basic principles of APEC. President Ma said that 40 years ago Chairman Lien served as ROC Ambassador to the Republic of El Salvador and has a strong foundation in Spanish. This is another important edge that he will have in attending the meeting to be held in Lima, Peru.    Earlier in the day, President Ma was interviewed by members of the press from Chile, Mexico and Peru. The journalist from Peru expressed special interest in what types of development Taiwan could bring to Latin America. In response, the president said that APEC member countries all hope to sign free trade agreements under the APEC framework. However, negotiating and inking FTAs is not an easy task. Nonetheless, APEC offers a good platform for Taiwan in which to seek such agreements. The president added that in the past, Taiwan has aggressively promoted APEC Digital Opportunity Centers among member nations. This program provides hardware and software assistance to member countries in information education. At present, eight information education centers have been set up in Peru and have been well-received by local governments. In addition, the president said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are willing to provide assistance of this kind to other member nations. President Ma said the vibrant development of Taiwan's small- and medium-sized enterprises has attracted considerable interest from APEC member nations, many of which hope that Taiwan companies will invest in their countries. These are among the various areas that Taiwan's delegation will address during its stay in Peru, he said.  NPF Chairman Lien said that he is honored to serve as President Ma's envoy in attending the 16th APEC annual forum. He also realizes he shoulders a heavy responsibility during this trip. Chairman Lien said that the world is now at a critical juncture in time. In addition to the global financial crisis that is impacting the world and wide swings in raw materials prices, the Asia-Pacific region continues to face what seems like a never-ending string of natural disasters. As a member of the global village, it is Taiwan's duty to work together with others in this time of difficulty. He said that the theme of this year's APEC meeting, "A New Commitment to Asia-Pacific Development," is a clear call for everyone to exchange opinions and share experiences with regards to pressing issues facing the region, and to foster opportunities for sustainable development.    President Ma attributed the ability to send Chairman Lien to the summit as a goodwill gesture by Mainland China. He said that cooperation in a variety of areas between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is fostering mutual trust and enabling the two sides to achieve consensus on related issues. He said that the recent visit by Mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Chairman Chen Yunlin to Taiwan achieved the objective of "facing up to the reality, mutual non-denial, working for the benefits of the people, and cross-strait peace." President Ma said that Chairman Lien's attendance at the APEC meeting will help to yield even more results in fostering peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Meets New Korean Representative Koo Yang-keun ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 11, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499836&pre_id=1105499836&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of November 11 at the Presidential Office met with the new Representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei Dr. Koo Yang-keun. The president, on behalf of the government, expressed a warm welcome to Representative Koo.  President Ma commented that Representative Koo many years ago was a student in the Department of History at National Taiwan University. He noted that Representative Koo has a deep understanding of Taiwan. He served in the academic sector for many years and is acquainted with many people in the political and academic communities. President Ma said he believes Dr. Koo is an excellent choice to take up the position of Representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei.  The president said relations between Taiwan and the Republic of Korea are progressing at a rapid pace. Last year, bilateral trade reached US$6.8 billion. Korea is Taiwan's fifth largest trading partner. In addition, tourism between the two nations is also posting handsome growth, he said. Korea has become a favorite place for the people of Taiwan to visit. The president looks forward to both sides continuing to strengthen their dialogue in the future, enabling relations between Taiwan and the Republic of Korea to continue to improve based on the existing foundation.  Representative Koo thanked President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He mentioned that at present there are 66 flights between the two nations each week and tourist visits each year now number about 560,000. This demonstrates the close interaction between the two sides and further indicates that ties are returning to the past levels.  Lastly, President Ma reiterated his welcome to Representative Koo on behalf of the government. He expects Representative Koo to continue to promote cooperative cultural, economic, investment and tourist relations between the two countries, fostering a win-win situation. He also asked Representative Koo to pass along his good wishes to President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea.   Representative Koo was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Deputy Representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei Sur Sung Yol and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin to meet President Ma. Also in attendance was National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi. ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
            <guid><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499836&pre_id=1105499836&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Meets Delegations from Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation and Mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 6, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499835&pre_id=1105499835&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of November 6 at the Taipei Guest House met with delegations from Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and Mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). The president thanked representatives from both agencies for their hard work recently. After making brief remarks, President Ma exchanged gifts with ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin.  President Ma said that over the past few days the SEF and the ARATS have engaged in intensive negotiations and have signed four agreements on direct flights between the two sides, direct shipping, postal cooperation, and food safety. The president said the two sides have also held in-depth discussions on topics associated with cross-strait financial cooperation. President Ma said that all of these agreements will have such benefits as providing more convenient transportation for people traveling between the two sides, fostering bilateral economic and trade exchanges, strengthening food safety, and coping with the international financial turmoil in a more effective way.  President Ma said this is the first time that SEF Chairman Chiang and ARATS Chairman Chen have met in Taiwan, carrying great significance. This demonstrates, he said, that relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have taken a giant step forward. In addition to reflecting the desires of the people on both sides, the talks are making a contribution to fostering stability and prosperity between Taiwan and Mainland China, he said. However, it is undeniable that differences and challenges still exist between the two sides, especially with regards to Taiwan's security and space for Taiwan in the international community. President Ma hopes the two sides in the future will handle these differences and expand bilateral cooperation based on the foundation of "facing up to the reality, mutual non-denial, working for the benefits of the people, and cross-strait peace." The president also expressed his desire for even higher level visits between the two sides in the future. He encouraged the SEF and the ARATS to continue to work hard to make an even greater contribution to the wellbeing of the people of both sides.  President Ma presented Chairman Chen with a ceramic replica of a Dawu tribe canoe that was made in Taiwan's ceramics center of Yingge. Painted on the canoe were Taiwan Phalaenopsis, symbolizing the three direct links between the two sides, a blossoming relationship, and bright prospects. President Ma presented Mrs. Chen with a glass art object. Meanwhile, Chairman Chen presented President Ma with a painting by the famous Mainland Chinese artist Han Meilin, renowned for his painting of horses. ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
            <guid><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499835&pre_id=1105499835&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma's Congratulatory Message to US President-elect Barack Obama ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 5, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499834&pre_id=1105499834&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ Dear Senator Obama,  It gives me enormous pleasure to learn that you have been elected as the 44th President of the United States of America. I am delighted to take this opportunity to reciprocate my heartfelt congratulations to you as you kindly wrote me a letter last May congratulating me on my inauguration as the 12th President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).  Undoubtedly, your victory is vital to the interests and global leadership of the U.S. at this crucial moment. Your election demonstrates the power of the American people, who constitute a great nation that is ready for a change, ready to embody social fairness worldwide, and ready to make a prosperous country in harmony and cooperation with other nations.  As a fellow Harvard Law School alumnus, I firmly believe that "veritas," following the truth, is our best guidance when conducting the country. I am also convinced that under your wise leadership, the United States will successfully overcome the current financial, economic, and political turbulence. America is still the promised land for all those who have a dream.  I am pleased to inform you that in my five months of administration, the tension across the Taiwan Strait has been significantly reduced due to the resumption of the dialogue between the two sides. Nevertheless, as the possibility of military confrontation has not yet vanished, an active role of the United States in the region is essential for enduring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in East Asia.  On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I am grateful to your sincere support for our cause. Your kind statements on various occasions have offered me great encouragement when dealing with cross-strait issues.   I look forward to working with you in the years ahead, strengthening the friendship between our two countries, as well as increasing understanding, cooperation and trust in all aspects. I hope that I will be able to meet with you in the future to further discuss issues of mutual interests. In the meantime, I believe that open channels of communication and continuous exchange of views between us will be conducive to peace and prosperity in the region. Finally, please accept my deepest sympathy and condolence to you and your family on the passing away of your beloved grandmother. May God bless you and other members of your family during this difficult time of bereavement. ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
            <guid><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499834&pre_id=1105499834&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Attends Opening of the 2008 Global Forum for Health Leaders ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Nov 3, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499833&pre_id=1105499833&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of November 3 attended the opening of the 2008 Global Forum for Health Leaders. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a warm welcome to the representatives from other countries.  The theme of the forum, being held in Taipei, is Health and Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities. President Ma expressed his desire for those participating in the forum to offer their experiences and expertise in an effort to improve the quality of life for humankind. The president also extended his appreciation to the participants for their hard work.  President Ma noted that the focus topics for the forum are "Evidence Based Health Policy," "Global Trend of Healthcare Quality," and "Capacity-Building for Disease Control." He said these topics all encompass initiatives advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Globalization has brought new challenges to health and security for humankind. For instance, he said, five years ago, during the outbreak of SARS, some people commented that while it took two years for AIDS to spread throughout the globe, the outbreak of SARS was seen throughout the world in just two weeks. Meanwhile, the recent incident involving the discovery of melamine in milk powder further highlights the need for close cooperation in the international community.  President Ma said that political factors have prevented Taiwan from participating in the WHO for 36 years. The people of Taiwan, government officials and non-governmental organizations continue to make efforts to improve the quality of health care in Taiwan, he said. The president commented that a number of health care policies instituted in Taiwan, such as the national health insurance plan, improvements in the quality of medical treatment education and health care accreditation, and measures to control infectious diseases, have proven extremely successful. If Taiwan will be able to participate in the WHO, it can surely provide more services and make greater contributions to the Asia-Pacific region and the international community, he said.  President Ma said that disease knows no borders and transcends politics. Compassion and humanitarianism, meanwhile, transcend language and race. That Taiwan is not able to participate in the WHO is not only a political issue, but also an issue of human rights, he said.  At the end of his remarks, President Ma invited the delegates attending the forum to take some time out of the meetings to get a better feel for Taiwan's rich culture. He encouraged them to spend a little bit extra during their stay in Taiwan to help boost consumption and spark Taiwan's economy.@ ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Meets European Parliament Taiwan Friendship Group Chairman Georg Jarzembowski ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Oct 31, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499832&pre_id=1105499832&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of October 31 at the Presidential Office met with European Parliament Taiwan Friendship Group Chairman Georg Jarzembowski and his delegation. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome and gratitude to the guests for making the long trip to Taiwan.  The president commented that over 100 members of the 700-plus members of the European Parliament have joined the Taiwan Friendship Group. He added that the trip to Taiwan by the delegation led by Chairman Jarzembowski will have an enormous benefit for relations between the ROC and the EU. Even though a great distance separates the ROC and the EU, the European Parliament in recent years has demonstrated strong support for and friendship to Taiwan, he said. The European Parliament has passed resolutions opposing Mainland China's passage of the Anti-Secession Law, expressing opposition to the lifting of a ban on arms sales by EU member nations to China, and supporting observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Assembly (WHA). All of these moves have deeply touched the people of Taiwan, the president said.  In speaking of Taiwan applying to be an observer in the WHA, President Ma said that this is not purely a political issue, but rather one involving human rights. The previous experience of the outbreak of SARS in Taiwan demonstrates that the rights to health of the people of Taiwan cannot be neglected, he said. In order to realize its hopes of becoming an observer in the WHA next year, the government in its proposal to the United Nations (UN) expressed that it sought meaningful participation for Taiwan in activities held by UN-affiliated organizations. Even though the motion filed by Taiwan did not make it to the General Assembly agenda, the United States and the EU both publicly expressed support for it. In addition to expressing his gratitude, President Ma said he hopes the European Parliament will continue to provide support to Taiwan.  In cross-strait ties which concerned the guests, President Ma said his cross-strait policy is one in which Taiwan becomes a peacemaker. He said Taiwan hopes to generate a climate for peace in the Taiwan Strait on the foundation of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force."  In addition to Chairman Jarzembowski, members of the Taiwan Friendship Group visiting Taiwan included MEP Hartmut Nassauer (Germany), MEP Jaroslav Zverina (Czech Republic), and MEP Bastiaan Belder (the Netherlands). The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Li-Yan Hsia to meet President Ma. ]]></description>
            <language>en-us</language>
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            <title><![CDATA[ President Ma Meets Reverend Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ]]></title>
            <pubDate>Oct 30, 2008 0:00:00</pubDate>
			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499829&pre_id=1105499829&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145 ]]></link>
            <description><![CDATA[ President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of October 30 at the Presidential Office met with Reverend Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The president extended a warm welcome to Reverend Graham on his visit to Taiwan.  President Ma praised Reverend Graham as one of the world's best-known preachers. He said he is delighted to have the opportunity to meet with Reverend Graham. The president noted that Reverend Graham not only bears a distinct likeness to his famous father the Reverend Billy Graham, but also shares with his father a talent for preaching. Reverend Billy Graham came to Taiwan in October 1975 to hold an evangelical service, just several months after the passing of former President Chiang Kai-shek. The evangelical service attracted a large audience and provided spiritual comfort to Christians in Taiwan, the president said. The visit made a deep impression on many people.  President Ma said religion has played an enormous role in the development of Taiwan society. Christianity has made many positive influences on Taiwan. People in Taiwan have become very anxious at this moment as Taiwan is feeling the impact of the global economic downturn, he said. Reverend Graham's visit to Taiwan to hold an evangelical service is sure to help increase confidence among the public and enable everyone to realize the comfort that religion provides. President Ma also said he hopes that Reverend Graham will be a frequent visitor to Taiwan and be able to provide even more encouragement to Christians here.  Reverend Graham expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. After the meeting concluded, he led those attending the meeting in a prayer, wishing the best for President Ma.  The delegation from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association included Reverend Franklin Graham, the association's Asia director Reverend Henry Holly, and Reverend Chad Hammond, the director of the association's in Taiwan. Joining the delegation were Reverend Nathaniel Chow, Reverend Te-chien Chang, Reverend James C. C. Shia, and Reverend Simon Hong. The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Legislator Shyh-Bao Lai to meet with President Ma. ]]></description>
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