BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THIS year, 2014, Taiwanese communities around the world are celebrating their island’s 103rd National Day and the management and staff of SKNVibes join with the many people and organisations in St. Kitts and Nevis in extending congratulations to President Ma Ying-jeou and the people of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
Annually, on October 10, the Taiwanese Government has planned activities to celebrate that country’s birth anniversary – National Day, also known as Double Ten Day – and to commemorate the 1911 Wuchang Uprising, a very significant milestone of China’s political development and a new chapter in the history of the Chinese which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and establishment of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912.
According to Travel King, during this important day of Taiwan, both local and overseas visitors as well as honoured dignitaries the world over, gather on that island to celebrate and show their respect for the nation.
Additionally, as a tradition, major celebrations are planned in front of the Presidential Office Building and it begins with a flag raising ceremony and national anthem, followed by a military parade and the Presidential Address.
In St. Kitts and Nevis, one of the events held in celebration of this year’s anniversary was the hosting of a gala reception by Resident Ambassador His Excellency Miguel Tsao and Her Excellency Isabel Tsao at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort on Saturday (Oct. 4), which had seen Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and his Cabinet Members, other government officials and friends as well as colleagues of the Taiwanese Embassy in attendance.
St. Kitts-Nevis and the Republic of China on Taiwan had established diplomatic relations in 1983, and since then the relationship has blossomed in many ways, with that island making numerous financial, educational and cultural contributions to the twin-island Federation.
It is said that Taiwan has made steady economic progress in addition to being a beacon for Chinese democracy.
Below is a list of achievements of Taiwan’s President provided by the Taiwanese Embassy in St. Kitts and Nevis.
1. Since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in the Republic of China (Taiwan) in May 2008, he has achieved many fundamental reforms. He has brought significant changes by reforming the National Health Insurance system, restructuring the central government, expanding from two to five the list of major cities that are directly under the central government, and deregulating electricity rates and gasoline prices so they can be determined by market forces;
2. President Ma’s rapprochement with Beijing has replaced military tension with peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait, without which Taiwan could not have established closer ties with other global economic partners. Other accomplishments include the signing of free trade agreements with New Zealand and Singapore, the conclusion of a bilateral investment arrangement and an open-sky agreement with Japan, and the resumption of talks with the US under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. The signing of a fishery agreement with Japan ended a 40-year fishery dispute in the East China Sea, while a consensus reached with the Philippines on how to conduct maritime law enforcement actions also terminated a 30-year dispute in the South China Sea;
3. In September 2014, in recognition of the above achievements, President Ma was awarded the Eisenhower Peace Medallion by People to People International, a US organization. Previous recipients include former President Mandela of South Africa, former President Reagan of the US, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Master Tzuchi of Taiwan;
4. A total of 140 countries and territories, including the US and the UK, now accord Taiwanese tourists visa-free or landing-visa privileges, up sharply from just 54 before President Ma took office. Thanks to his effective policies, the yearly number of visitors to Taiwan jumped from 3.7 million in 2007 to 8.01 million last year, and is expected to top 9 million by the end of this year. That Taiwan might become a popular destination for international tourists was unthinkable before, but it is now a reality; and
5. Though it may not yet be apparent, President Ma has implemented many groundbreaking and irreversible changes for Taiwan. It is normal for public polling results to fluctuate, especially for a national leader. Any leader’s popularity will suffer when people with vested interests are upset by major policy decisions.
