Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) In his address on the Republic of China's

98th National Day, President Ma Ying-jeou reviewed the lessons that

the government has learned over the last year and outlined his vision

for the development of the nation.

He stressed the importance of disaster prevention and

environmental sustainability at time of drastic global climate

change. In the wake of the Typhoon Morakot disaster in August, he

said, a national land planning and conservation law must be enacted

to ensure public safety and guarantee sustainable growth.

Taiwan's economy, which was hard hit in the global economic

crunch, showed signs of improvement in Q3 compared with Q2, while a

benchmark economic indicator has been flashing an upbeat "yellow-

blue light" over the past three months, he noted.

The president said his administration has been working, with the

people's support, to further improve relations between Taiwan and

China and thus expand Taiwan's international presence.

However, Taiwan will not sacrifice national security in its

pursuit of cross-strait peace, the president said. Taiwan's

insistence on the national defense strategy of effective deterrence

and resolute defense remains firm, he stressed.

Following is full text of President Ma Ying-jeou's National Day

address:

Vice President Siew, Presidents of the Five Yuans, Presidential

Advisors, NationalPolicy Advisers, Ministers, Distinguished Guests,

Fellow Countrymen: Good morning! Today is the 98th National Day of

the Republic of China. In mid- August, it was decided that this year

we would forego the usual Double Tenth Day celebrations. We simply

are not in the festive mood necessary to celebrate this national day

as we mourn the deaths and disappearances of more than 700

compatriots during the Typhoon Morakot disaster. It feels as if we

had lost our own family members.

We can only hope that the spirits of the deceased rest in peace

as we strive to make our homeland more secure from such disasters and

to ensure that such tragedies never happen again. To the disaster

victims and to all of our citizens, we solemnly pledge to do our

utmost in this regard.

Effective Land Planning, Comforting Disaster Victims Recent years

have seen anomalous global climatic changes accompanied by

large-scale disasters around the world, a trend particularly evident

in the Asia- Pacific region. Two months ago, Taiwan received a

shocking education in the ways of nature, from which we have learned

painful lessons. We awakened to the reality that, the earth is

humanity's sole source of sustenance and security, so we must be

humble in dealing with nature and become rooted in the concept of

development based on harmony with the natural environment; and we

must desist from fighting against the land we live on.

This year will be a turning point in the work of land

conservation. As soon as possible, we must pass a national land

planning bill that effectively puts public safety first, takes human

livelihood as a central concern, and aims at environmental

sustainability as our ultimate goal. In particular, the bill should

prohibit or strictly limit the development of areas vulnerable to

disaster.

In the future, reconstruction in disaster areas should take

climate change into consideration and should be integrated with

ongoing waterway and land management planning. When relocation of

communities becomes necessary, we should ensure that they are

relocated from danger zones to safe areas, and in so far as possible,

the areas to which they are relocated must be within the

administrative borders of their original villages, or at least within

their original rural township, so as to facilitate the continuity and

sustainability of original patterns of culture and livelihood

following reconstruction.

Another crucial lesson the Morakot disaster has taught us is that

disaster preparedness is more important than disaster relief. As long

as disaster preparedness work is carried out effectively, casualties

and losses can be greatly reduced. To that end, we have launched

reforms of current disaster preparedness systems and operations aimed

at strengthening coordination and communications between central and

local governments, training and drilling local government units in

routine disaster preparedness measures, and heightening citizens'

awareness of the importance of disaster preparedness.

Preparedness and rescue work has also been prioritized as a core

mission of our armed forces. As a matter of routine, the nation's

five military zones will carry out regular troop deployments in a

manner that ensures they are prepared for disasters. And when a

possible disaster situation appears imminent, troops will be deployed

in advance to threatened areas so that they can be at the ready to

engage in rescue operations.

In fact, before the Morakot disaster struck, 33 township

magistrates, village heads, police and fire chiefs, and landslide

experts took decisive action to evacuate and relocate some 9,100

people from 21 villages. Had they failed to take such timely action,

casualties would have increased by over 1,000. Thanks to the

heightened disaster preparedness of these heroes and their accurate

judgment of conditions, many lives were saved.

In the course of Morakot disaster relief efforts, we have

witnessed the compassion of the people of Taiwan and the resilience

of this land. In the wake of the disaster, government agencies,

citizens, and charitable organizations islandwide have devoted

themselves to serving the needs of those in disaster areas and made

generous donations totaling some NT$17.8 billion [about US$550

million]. As for rescue and relief work, our military personnel

performed over 560, 000 person-missions; police, fire and public

works departments conducted more than 410,000 person-missions; and

volunteers carried out in excess of 140,000 person-missions. They

feared no danger or obstacle, working round-the-clock to save lives,

relocate victims, repair roads, bridges and levees, dredge rivers,

and clean up homes. These heroes rescued over 50,000 disaster

victims.

Among their ranks are soldiers, pilots, policemen, firefighters,

village chiefs, and volunteers. Regrettably, we are unable to

acknowledge each of them by name, and only a small number of them

have received public recognition. The huge majority remain unsung

heroes, unassumingly laboring with all their hearts for victims they

look upon as family.

Though floodwaters are heartless, it is in adversity that the

strong solidarity and vitality of the people of Taiwan shine through

as we all cease to think of ourselves and join hands in mutual help.

It is this sentiment that gives us faith that things will change

for the better. We must harness this strength as the motive power for

Taiwan's ongoing progress.

Braver with Every Challenge, Turning Crisis into Opportunity

Since coming into office in May of last year, this administration has

become profoundly aware that the world is entering into an era of

sudden change and tremendous challenges. We have further come to see

that the way in which a country responds to them is key to its

fortunes--even to its very survival. Last year we were first hit by

the global financial tsunami, in which international banks went out

of business, stock markets plummeted, and people panicked. Along with

these developments came stagnation of exports, economic slowdown, and

mounting unemployment.

Our government immediately responded to these challenges with

deliberate and measured action. We stabilized the financial sector by

fully guaranteeing all bank deposits and cutting interest rates

several times. We boosted consumer confidence and stimulated

consumption by launching programs to expand domestic demand. We

opened up new vistas for business by liberalizing restrictions on

economic interchange between Taiwan and mainland China, by opening

Taiwan to direct visits by mainland Chinese tourists, and by

launching direct air, sea, and postal links across the Taiwan Strait.

And we sparked new momentum for growth by designing policies to

promote six emerging star industries and spur the development of a

diversified economy. In addition, we instituted policies designed to

bring about more efficient energy use and create a low-carbon

economy. Our actions on this front have reversed an eight-year period

of stagnation. The nation has saved 4.5 terawatt hours of power over

the past year alone, or the equivalent of a year's energy consumption

by the 1.87 million residents of Tainan County and Tainan City. Over

this same time period, we have also cut CO2 emissions by nearly 2.9

million tons, which is equal to 7,784 times the annual CO2 absorption

capacity of Da-an Forest Park, one of the largest parks in Taipei.

These measures have enabled Taiwan to weather the global

financial tsunami and advance toward our goal of becoming a

low-carbon economy. Taiwan's ranking in the World Economic Forum's

competitiveness index has jumped five notches to 12th place. And our

ranking in the World Bank's Doing Business 2010 report has risen to

No. 46, up 15 notches.

Meanwhile, the economic monitoring indicators of the Council for

Economic Planning and Development have registered an upbeat "yellow-

blue light" for three consecutive months, and overall economic

conditions in the third quarter of this year have improved

significantly in comparison with the second quarter. This indicates

that the economy has bottomed out and is now on the rebound.

As the saying goes, "Break an arm, yet get up braver" [i.e., when

the going gets tough, the tough get going]. Taiwan has not been

overwhelmed by the financial turmoil. On the contrary, we are more

confident and able to deal with external challenges than ever.

A few months ago, the outbreak of A(H1N1) novel influenza in

Mexico raised fears worldwide. Although it is not as lethal as SARS

[severe acute respiratory syndrome], we cannot afford to weaken our

vigilance. Over the past five months, our public and private

epidemic- prevention efforts--whether in preparing vaccines and

medicines or promoting public health measures--have been on a par

with those undertaken by advanced countries. Both infection and

fatality rates have remained low, and it is gratifying to see that

our citizens have been so cooperative. Although the fall and winter

seasons could see a higher incidence of A(H1N1) influenza, we are

fully prepared and confident that we will be able to minimize its

spread.

Morakot will not be the last typhoon, nor will novel influenza

A(H1N1) be the last pandemic, to hit Taiwan. In facing potential

natural disasters in the future, we must anticipate a broader range

of problems and take aggressive measures to protect ourselves. If we

prepare for every typhoon as a possible Morakot and every outbreak of

infectious disease as another SARS epidemic, then harm can certainly

be greatly reduced. Typhoon Parma is the first typhoon to hit Taiwan

since Morakot. With lessons learned from Morakot fresh in mind, 7,863

people were evacuated well in advance of Parma's arrival, evidencing

much improvement in our vigilance against potential disasters.

Over the past few decades, the people of Taiwan have been

toughened by successive trials and tribulations. A widely shared

awareness of the need to be on guard against the unexpected has kept

us from falling into complacency. This mindset has enabled us to

weather all sorts of hardships and adversities, which is the

fundamental reason why Taiwan has stood firm and steady. Now it is

time to take it up a notch. We must further heighten our awareness of

the need for disaster preparedness, and enhance our capacity for

action.

Rebuilding Cross-Strait Relations, Expanding our International

Participation The past year has witnessed considerable improvements

in relations between Taiwan and mainland China. The prospect of peace

across the Taiwan Strait appears to be at hand. This progress is a

result of efforts on both sides. Our decision to move in this

direction is in line with the hopes of the majority of our people,

and has also been very well received by the international community.

Over the past year, working on the pragmatic basis of the "1992

Consensus, " we have expanded the scope of cross-strait cooperation,

and have achieved greater mutual trust and good will, as evidenced by

the signing of nine agreements covering such topics as visits to

Taiwan by mainland tourists, direct air, sea, and postal links, food

safety inspections, and cross-strait legal assistance. We believe

that there remains much work for us to tackle for the sake of the

well- being of our peoples, including negotiation of memorandums of

understanding (MOUs) on financial supervisory cooperation, and an

economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).

Cross-strait differences and concerns are rooted in historical

factors that cannot be overcome all at once. To achieve further

peaceful development of our relations, both sides must remain

patient, face up to practical realities, and move forward in a

gradual, orderly manner, so as to build mutual trust and find common

ground amid our differences.

A touching and inspirational development in cross-strait

interaction was the surge of relief donations and practical

assistance from Taiwan in response to last year's Sichuan earthquake

in mainland China. Taiwan's support for the relief effort exceeded

that of all other nations in terms of either monetary value or number

of volunteers. Then, in response to the disaster inflicted on Taiwan

by Typhoon Morakot in August, mainland China was no less generous in

offering material assistance and donations, likewise exceeding those

of all other nations. Such interaction, reflecting the feeling shared

by both peoples with common ethnic roots that "blood is thicker than

water, " inspires us to look forward to future cross-strait

developments with confidence and hope.

At the same time, we are well aware that even as we actively

pursue peaceful development of cross-strait relations, some of our

citizens worry that our national sovereignty and interests might be

harmed. We are willing to engage in dialogue via all sorts of

channels, including the Legislature and political parties, in order

to forge a public consensus on this government's mainland China

policy. Taiwan is a democratic society, and our foremost guiding

principle in addressing cross-strait issues is to safeguard our

national sovereignty and advance our people's welfare while welcoming

the public's and the Legislature's scrutiny. I am constantly mindful

of this responsibility, and will do all in my power to ensure that it

is fulfilled.

Improvement of cross-strait relations is beneficial to our

foreign relations, as all countries, whether or not we have

diplomatic ties with them, are all happy to see an easing of

cross-strait tensions. Most of them are also willing to develop

friendly relations with both Taiwan and mainland China. Over the past

year-plus period, we have been promoting a policy of "flexible

diplomacy, " and the two sides have demonstrated good will by

refraining from attempts to lure away the other's diplomatic

partners. Relations with our diplomatic partners are gradually

becoming more stable, and Taiwan's international status has been

steadily enhanced.

Consequently, we have achieved breakthroughs in the Asia-Pacific

Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, the Government

Procurement Agreement under the World Trade Organization, and

participation in the World Health Assembly. In May this year, the ROC

ratified the United Nations' two 1966 human rights covenants- -the

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights--for

which we have won praise in international human rights circles.

With regard to our strategy for rejoining the United Nations

system, since last year we have abandoned futile confrontation and

adopted as our priority goal participation in the United Nations'

specialized agencies and their activities so as to substantively

enhance Taiwan's participation in and contributions to the

international community. These pragmatic, feasible approaches have

garnered widespread international affirmation and greatly improved

Taiwan's international image and status.

Flexible diplomacy is a diplomacy of integrity, a humanitarian

diplomacy, as well as a soft-power diplomacy. It not only has

expanded Taiwan's international maneuvering room, but has won the

respect of the international community. In July and September of this

year, our nation played host, respectively, to the Eighth World Games

in Kaohsiung and the 21st Summer Deaflympics in Taipei. In both

sporting events, our athletes turned in outstanding performances,

garnering record numbers of medals and finishing seventh and fifth,

respectively, in the medal count among the hundred-plus nations that

took part in each event. Moreover, people from everywhere were

impressed with the meticulous preparations carried out by the Taipei

and Kaohsiung municipal governments, our central government's strong

support, our numerous volunteers' enthusiasm, and the Taiwanese

people's friendliness and hospitality.

It is little wonder then, that Ron Froehlich, president of the

International World Games Association (IWGA) , publicly extolled the

Kaohsiung World Games as the most successful ever; while Donalda

Ammoms, president of the International Sports Committee for the Deaf

(ICSD) , repeatedly praised the Taipei Summer Deaflympics as the

best-managed in the past 85 years. Moreover, my announcing of the

opening ceremonies of the two games in the capacity of president of

the host nation was also a first for the games. All of this goes to

show that so long as we have real strength and move in the right

direction, the whole world will cheer us on.

Despite the recent dramatic improvement in cross-strait

relations, we have never overlooked the military threat posed by

mainland China. We are indeed actively pursuing peace across the

Taiwan Strait, but we shall never sacrifice Taiwan's national

security. Our insistence on the national defense strategy of

"effective deterrence and resolute defense" remains firm. We intend

to energetically develop a professional military based on recruitment

of volunteers to form a compact yet powerful defensive force to

protect the security of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.

Developing a Chinese Culture with Unique Taiwanese Character My

dear friends, looking back over the 98 years of the Republic of

China's history inspires a welter of contrasting feelings. Except for

the " golden decade" immediately following the Northern Expedition,

the 38 years during which the ROC government was based on the

mainland was a period of incessant war and chaos that rendered people

destitute and rootless and allowed little opportunity to put into

practice the nation-building ideals of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Yet, over the

six decades since the ROC government relocated to Taiwan, it has

succeeded in carrying out land reform, implementing universal

education, promoting economic growth, erecting a social welfare

system and instituting democratic constitutional government.

After these 60 years of national development, Taiwan has a robust

middle class, enjoys an open and free media environment, and has a

healthy civil society in which environmental awareness has taken

root, while community-building and volunteerism have developed at a

lively pace. Step by step, we have created a Chinese culture with a

unique Taiwanese character--a heritage belonging to all of us and in

which we all can take pride.

During the past six decades, the histories and cultures of the

Republic of China and Taiwan have become thoroughly intertwined. In

this context, "Taiwan spirit" is not a vapid slogan, but is

concretely embodied in the values and character of those who have

struggled for this land.

The many individuals who have held resolutely to their

convictions over the past century are exemplars of Taiwan spirit.

Examples from the Japanese colonial period include Lien Ya-tang,

the historian who chronicled the early years of Taiwan history,

Chiang Wei-shui, a leading civil rights activist, Mona Rudao, who

fought against colonial oppression, and Lai He, a pioneer of

Taiwanese literature. Notable post-war figures include Chen Cheng,

who promoted land reform, Li Kuo-ting and Sun Yun-suan, who oversaw

the transformation of Taiwan's economy, and the many who struggled

for freedom and democracy over the decades through publications such

as Free China magazine and Formosan magazine.

Their spirit lives on today in the athletes who gave their all in

the World Games and Deaflympics; in the donors, volunteers and

humanitarian organizations that donated money and saved lives in the

recent disaster; and in the bus drivers Su Sheng-yu and Hou Wen-

tien, whose actions in September saved the lives of their passengers

though they themselves died.

Further, there are those who have taken Taiwan's culture onto the

world stage, such as members of the U-Theatre, the Performance

Workshop and the Hsiao Hsi Yuan Puppet Theater. Similarly, Ju Ming's

sculptures, Liao Shiou-ping's block prints and Liu Kuo-sung's

innovative Chinese ink paintings have won international acclaim,

securing for Taiwan a position of respect in the world of art.

Such examples of Taiwan spirit highlight the core values of the

Taiwanese people and inject Taiwan's vital, unique character into the

deepest levels of Chinese culture. "Taiwan spirit" has enriched the

inner essence of Chinese culture while giving sustenance to Taiwan.

It has nurtured you and me, and it will nourish our descendants.

We should, then, treasure one another and walk forward hand in hand,

developing our Taiwan spirit and transmitting it to posterity.

Inheriting the Past, Ushering in the Future In another 400-plus

days, the Republic of China will enter into its one-hundredth year as

a nation. The cries of those revolutionaries a century ago still echo

in our ears, and the ideals of the nation's founders still gleam

before our eyes. It is still our common vow to build a nation of the

people, by the people and for the people. And solidarity of the

people, power to the people, and prosperity of the people [Sun Yat-

sen's Three Principles of the People] remain the goals toward which

we strive.

In order to celebrate this grand day and to let upcoming

generations know that the Republic will always stand firm through

whatever storm comes our way, and that we will emerge shining

brighter from every trial, I hereby announce on this National Day the

establishment of the "Republic of China Centennial Preparatory

Commission" chaired by Vice President Siew to coordinate the public

and private sectors in planning a year-long series of celebratory

activities.

My dear compatriots, our confidence is resolute and unwavering,

our steps sure and steady. We shall spare no efforts in carrying

forward our various national development programs, so as to lay a

solid foundation for the Republic's flourishing century to come. In

closing, may our nation have great success and prosperity! And may

you and your families all be blessed with health, peace, and

happiness! Thank you