June 16th, 2016
(As prepared for Delivery)
Ladies and gentlemen: Good morning!
It gives me great honor to be here at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Energy Efficiency in Asia under the US-Taiwan Global Cooperation and Training Framework. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all the distinguished participants of this conference. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this conference in Taiwan, as this is a firm evidence of our common commitment and determination for advancing the energy efficiency of our region. Let me also take this opportunity to thank the Bureau of Energy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the American Institute in Taiwan for the good collaboration with my ministry.
Taiwan and the United States have been dedicated to building a comprehensive, durable and mutually beneficial partnership over the last eight years. In order to further strengthen our relationship and effectively respond together to the emerging global challenges, the two countries established the “U.S.-Taiwan Global Cooperation and Training Framework” (GCTF) in June, 2015. However, it is not enough for Taiwan to benefit alone from bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S.; more importantly, Taiwan would like to use the GCTF as a multilateral platform to contribute its expertise and to further cooperate with regional countries on some of the most pressing and important issues for all of us, including energy security, public health, digital economy and women empowerment among others.
Since the signing of the GCTF, Taiwan and the U.S. have already co-hosted various training programs and workshops on MERS-Coronavirus, Dengue fever, Zika and women empowerment. Today's conference will be yet another highlight of such cooperation among all of us, as the issue of energy efficiency not only relates to consumer welfare, national and regional economic development, but also affects the global climate change. It will have great impact on the sustainability and future development of mankind. This is why we are gathered here today, to share and exchange our experiences and expertise, and make Asia Pacific region a pioneer in energy efficiency!
Albert Einstein once said: “Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” Today, I would like to challenge you and encourage you all to think outside the box, to free you imagination, for creativity brings innovation, and with it comes advancement of a better life and world. Let's not only ask ourselves what we can achieve alone, but let's imagine what we can do together!
Let me once again welcome you all to this conference in Taiwan. We look forward to working closely with you and your governments in the future. Lastly, I wish this conference a great success and all of you a wonderful stay in Taiwan. Thank you!