Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Yea-Ping Shih,
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Tyzz-Jiun Duh,
Chairman Sheng-Hsiung Hsu of the China Productivity Center (CPC),
APO Governing Body Chair Tan Sri Azman Hashim,
Chief Expert of the 50th Anniversary Publication Dr. Tsu-Tan Fu,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

A very good day to you all. It is a great honor for me to propose a vote of thanks on behalf of all delegates attending this conference. I would like to express my deep gratitude to HE Vice President Den-Yi Wu for his keynote address. I would also like to thank Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Yea-Ping Shih and Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Tyzz-Jiun Duh for their special messages and strong support for this entire endeavor. My appreciation also goes to APO Director for the Republic of China Sheng-Hsiung Hsu and to APO Governing Body Chair Tan Sri Azman Hashim for their welcome remarks.

I am delighted that we have just witnessed the tangible result of the APO’s 50th anniversary with the official launch of the commemorative publication titled Productivity in the Asia-Pacific: Past, Present, and Future. I am confident that it will serve as a beacon to assist APO members in navigating the course to sustainable, inclusive development. Further details are elaborated in the Taipei Declaration, which is based on the experts’ consolidated recommendations. The Taipei Declaration will be submitted to the APO Governing Body and to each member government. I am looking forward to these recommendations leading to new developments that will enhance innovation-led productivity in the APO region. The anniversary publication together with the Taipei Declaration will also enable the APO to fulfill its vision of being the leading international organization for productivity enhancement in the Asia-Pacific, enabling APO economies to be more productive and competitive.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Government of the Republic of China for providing the special grant that has made it possible for all of us to assemble today at this historic conference. I wish to record special gratitude to APO Director for the Republic of China Sheng-Hsiung Hsu for his leadership and to the entire team of the CPC for organizing this conference in such a superb manner. My deep appreciation also goes to all the experts who will give presentations and provide valuable and enlightening inputs today and tomorrow.

Finally, I would like to thank Chief Expert Dr. Tsu-Tan Fu, the two experts Dr. Feng-Shang Wu and Dr. Alfred Li-Ping Cheng, and the entire team of writers who made this special publication possible.

In closing, I wish you all very productive and constructive discussions during this conference and hope that you fully enjoy the warm hospitality of our gracious hosts during the next two days.

Thank you very much.

Photo courtesy of CPC.