Tomorrow is National Day, and many compatriots have returned to Taiwan from abroad to participate in the celebrations. At a welcome gathering in their honor held by the Overseas Community Affairs Council today, Premier Jiang Yi-huah, after honoring the patriots who sacrificed their lives in the Xinhai Revolution to establish the nation 102 years ago, said that overseas citizens' support has helped make the Republic of China successful and expressed hope that all citizens will work together to make the country even stronger.
"The nation has faced numerous challenges during the Ma administration, including the global financial crisis and Typhoon Morakot, but it has overcome each one under President Ma's leadership while producing one success after another," Jiang said.
"This year, the ROC was ranked 7th in the world in competitiveness by Switzerland's International Institute for Management Development; 16th in Ease of Doing Business by the World Bank, a new high in this report; and the 3rd best place in the world to invest (as well as the 2nd best in Asia) by the U.S. Business Environment Risk Intelligence," he noted.
"The Executive Yuan is implementing the major policies outlined in President Ma's Golden Decade National Vision. The administration's top priorities, in order, are stimulating the economy, caring for the disadvantaged, carrying forward traditional Chinese culture and developing the nation's human resources.
"Several of these successes and policies are closely tied to our overseas compatriots. Their tight-knit bond with our nation was heralded by its father, Sun Yat-sen, who said that 'Overseas Chinese are the Mother of the Revolution.' They have also been its most ardent supporters during each stage of its development.
"The ROC still needs the combined effort of its compatriots at home and abroad in order to stand tall among the nations," the premier declared. "Hence, the Executive Yuan's talent development policies do not stop at Taiwan's borders. The government is attracting ethnic Chinese students from foreign countries to Taiwanese schools, and has waived the requirements that they return to their original countries of residence after graduating from university so they may stay and work here in Taiwan."