民主進步黨31週年黨慶外交使節酒會蔡英文主席致詞全文 / 民主進步黨

2017-09-28

民主進步黨31週年黨慶外交使節酒會蔡英文主席致詞全文

民主進步黨主席蔡英文今(28)日由黨秘書長洪耀福、副秘書長徐佳青、國際部主任羅致政陪同，出席31週年黨慶外交使節酒會。本次酒會共有43國、56位貴賓參與，其中包含28位駐台大使與代表、駐台外交官、各國商會代表及重要國內外貴賓，場面熱烈。

蔡英文主席致詞全文如下（英中對照）：

Members of the diplomatic community distinguished guests good afternoon!

Nine years ago I took the chairpersonship of the Democratic Progressive Party for the first time. As many of you may know in the same year the party had just lost the 2008 presidential election.

To rebuild the people’s trust in the DPP I launched a small-donor campaign. I asked the public for their support so that we could get back on our feet again and become a viable opposition party.

I knew regaining the public’s confidence would take time so I didn’t expect the response to come quickly. Within a month a lady who earned a living by washing dishes sent us an envelope. There was 20000 dollars and a note inside. The note said: “I ask for nothing in return but your party to safeguard the sovereignty of Taiwan”.

There were tens of thousands of people like her. They came from all walks of life generously pledging their support for the DPP. They felt strongly about the democratic values the party stood for. They believed the DPP is a force capable of moving Taiwan forward once again.

Today I am here commemorating the 31st anniversary of the DPP with you in my capacity as Taiwan’s ruling party. I am pleased to have the opportunity to say we are delivering on those expectations. We have not shied away from the momentous responsibilities placed upon us.

Since my election I have completed pension reform a task previous administrations were not able to achieve. The number of social housing throughout Taiwan is rapidly increasing. Our long-term care plan is gradually benefitting more and more seniors.

One of our most critical pieces of legislation the forward-looking infrastructure plan has passed. At the same time we are also working to reform the military the judiciary and the tax system.

Our economy is improving too. Export orders have seen 12 consecutive months of growth. GDP growth has exceeded past expectations. Following the announcement of public sector wage increases the private sector is also following suit. The unemployment rate in August was 3.76 per cent the lowest it had been in 26 months.

In addition to this we have taken steadfast and pragmatic steps to broaden Taiwan’s international space and strengthen relations with countries around the world.

Of particular importance are Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. We are grateful to the 15 countries that voiced their support for Taiwan at the UN General Assembly earlier this month. We are determined to work with all diplomatic allies in order to more effectively support their development.

For like-minded countries we are furthering trade and investment ties as well as cooperation on issues like innovation green energy and science and technology. We have kept in close communication regarding the shared security challenges in the region.

Another one of our foreign policy priorities is the New Southbound Policy. We have worked tirelessly for Taiwan to play a greater role in the region particularly in areas of trade investment education tourism and culture.

We’re seeing the dividends of such efforts. Tourism from New Southbound countries has increased by 36.7% from the year prior. Trade is up 19.39%. The number of students from these countries has also increased by almost 10%. All of this has brought Taiwan and New Southbound countries closer together.

Taiwan would not be where it is today without support from international society. The countries you represent have walked with Taiwan along our journey towards a democracy. Together we have witnessed Taiwan’s transition from a net-recipient to a contributor around the world.

Today it is undeniable that Taiwan is an active member of the international community. I’m sure that our efforts in health education human rights regional security and climate change have not gone unnoticed around the world.

In fact we recently released our very first Voluntary National Review documenting our efforts for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In the coming years Taiwan’s international participation will continue to face many challenges. Taiwan deserves your support so that as a partner we can contribute to a safer healthier and more prosperous global community.

I started this speech with a story of how one step at a time the DPP regained the trust and confidence of the people.

This story is also relevant for Taiwan’s international situation. Only through continued support from international society even if it is incremental can Taiwan play a greater role around the world.

We have already made our intentions clear. Taiwan is ready to work with each of your countries to create a more democratic secure and prosperous international society. I hope that you will also be willing to work with Taiwan for a better joint future.

I would like to thank you all for coming today. Let us raise our glasses to cheer for our continued friendship. Cheers! Thank you!

各位友邦的大使與各國駐台使節及代表、各位貴賓，大家好！

九年前，我首度接下民主進步黨主席的職務。也許在場有些貴賓仍記得，民進黨在同年（2008）的總統大選中敗選。

為重拾人民對民進黨的信任，我決定發動小額募款，希望臺灣人民能再度支持我們、幫助我們再度站起來成為一個有力的反對黨。

我知道，重新建立信心是需要時間的。但我沒預期到，來自人民的回應竟然來得那麼快。在一個月以內，我們收到一封信，是來自一個在餐廳洗碗的阿姨。信封裡面有臺幣兩萬元現金，還有一張紙條，上頭寫著：「我不求回報，只求民進黨能為人民守護臺灣的主權。」

有許許多多的臺灣人像那位阿姨一樣。他們來自社會各個階層，慷慨地給予民進黨支持與鼓勵。他們深深支持我們堅持的民主價值。同時，他們也相信我們一定可以再起，領導臺灣變得更民主、更繁榮。

今天，我站在這裡，代表台灣的執政黨，和各位一起慶祝民進黨創黨31週年。我很榮幸能有這個機會來完成人民的願望。而且我們也從未逃避我們所承擔的巨大責任。

自從我們贏得去年的總統大選，我花了一年的時間完成年金改革，這是過去幾任政府都作不到的任務。社會住宅的計畫逐漸在臺灣各個角落開花。我們的長照計畫也造福了越來越多的臺灣人民。

我們的重點法案之一，前瞻基礎建設計畫，近期也通過了立法院。同時，我們也不停歇地在國防、司法還有稅制等議題層面上繼續進行改革。

我們的經濟也正在成長。我們出口及外銷訂單已經連續12月以來都看到成長。GDP的成長也優於預期。我們的股市也表現亮眼。在政府宣布為公務人員加薪之後，私部門也準備跟進，帶來人民等了好久的加薪。我們8月的失業率為3.76％，創26個月以來的新低。

而且，我們以穩健的腳步來強化臺灣的國際空間，還有與世界的連結。

其中，我們的友邦對臺灣尤其十分重要。我們很感謝15個友邦在這個月的聯合國大會上為臺灣仗義執言。我們也決心要更努力地支持我們友邦的建設工作。