President Ma calls for expansion of ROC soft power

By Audrey Wang

At the 8th Annual Global Views Business Forum, ROC President Ma Ying-jeou urges Taiwan businesses to exercise the country’s soft power in an effort to receive the full benefits of ECFA.

Taiwan has to cultivate its soft power to stand out on the world stage now that the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is in effect, ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said Oct. 18.

Outlining his visions for Taiwan’s economy at the opening of the two-day 8th Annual Global Views Business Forum, organized by the Taipei-based business magazine Global Views, Ma explained that soft power is a country’s ability to get others to accept or acknowledge its goals through persuasion and attraction.

He cited the definition given by Joseph S. Nye Jr., the Harvard University scholar who coined the phrase in 1990.

“Compared to hard power, this invisible force is stronger and has greater influence on the actions of others,” he said.

The remarkable performances of Taiwan’s North Pole marathon runner Tommy Chen, tennis player Lu Yen-hsun, golfer Yani Tseng and philanthropist vegetable vendor Chen Shu-chu are all excellent examples of Taiwan’s soft power, he added.

Ma stressed that it is important for Taiwan to build local brands, develop its high-tech and cultural creative industries, and expand its service sector, as means of exercising its soft power and tapping into the global market.

The president noted that ECFA and warming cross-strait relations have brought Taiwan increased international space and opportunities. With effective use of its soft power, the country is on its way to becoming a “peacemaker, humanitarian aid provider, cultural exchange promoter and new technology and business creator” in the international community, he said.

Taiwan Today, Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan), 20.10.2010

Die Presseabteilung der Taipeh Vertretung mit Sitz in Berlin bietet folgende Dienstleistungen an: Erläuterung der Politik und der Entwicklung der Republik China (Taiwan), Verbreitung von Stellungnahmen und Pressemitteilungen von taiwanischer Seite sowie Beantwortung von Fragen über das Land;
Angebot von Informationsmaterial über Taiwan in deutscher, englischer, und chinesischer Sprache (Broschüren, Filme, Videos, DVDs, Diafilme, CDs);
Anlaufstelle für deutsche Medienvertreter, Angebot von Informationsreisen nach Taiwan für deutsche Journalisten;
Organisation von Veranstaltungen mit dem Ziel, Kontakte zwischen Deutschland und Taiwan zu vertiefen (Vorträge, Seminare, Ausstellungen, Filmfestivals etc.);
Sonstige Öffentlichkeitsarbeit

Presseabteilung Taipeh Vertretung
Markgrafenstr. 35
10117 Berlin

This release was published on openPR.