As the Republic of China celebrated its 90th birthday yesterday in an unusually low-key manner, the nation's president said that although Taiwan faces difficult times, imminent accession to the WTO was cause for celebration.
Hosting the Double Ten Day celebrations, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen said that, although Taiwan is still suffering the effects of natural disasters, the international economic downturn and the global terrorist crisis, there is cause for celebration as Taiwan's WTO accession has finally been made possible after 12 years of effort and negotiations.
"The fact that Taiwan plays an indispensable role in the international economic sphere has once again been acknowledged," Chen said at yesterday's gathering, adding that he had instructed all government agencies to prepare for the possible negative impact Taiwan's accession early next year may have on domestic industry and agriculture.
He also urged China to resume cross-strait dialogue with Taiwan as soon as possible, and reiterated the government's earnest readiness to assist the US government in its war against terrorism.
On the domestic front, Chen said that he had commissioned Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) to form a special task force to study the government's environmental policies and national land plans. The president commissioned the study in the wake of a string of typhoons that devastated the island. Chen vowed to "strike a balance between natural conservation and city planning."
To keep costs down, the Presidential Office decided this year to downsize most National Day celebrations, including the customary dinner banquet for foreign guests.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, only 88 foreign guests attended yesterday's banquet while 283 attended the feastlast year.
Also, while 7,000 overseas Taiwanese returned home to attend the festivities last year, less than one-fourth of that total -- around 1,700 -- did so this year. According to the cabinet's Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, the additional funds will be diverted to reconstruction work in the wake of the typhoons and other natural disasters.
Moreover, to the public's surprise, formalities at the traditional National Day flag-raising ceremony in the early morning were also curtailed, with the Presidential Office saying presidential staff were busy preparing for other festivities.
RSS