October 15, 2015
No. 56
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Andrew Hsia went to Dongguan to visit Taixin Hospital and held discussions with Guangdong-based Taiwan businesspeople at the Dongguan TBA Tower this morning (October 15, 2015). In the afternoon, Minister Hsia visited the Taiwan Businessmen's Dongguan School to understand first-handedly the local development of Taiwan businesspeople and their children's education. He also conveyed the government's concern for Taiwanese businesspeople.
Minister Hsia's morning itinerary started with a visit to the Taixin Hospital, which was built with funds from members of the Taiwan Businessmen Association (TBA) Dongguan. He listened to a briefing on the hospital's operations and expressed concern for the Taiwanese medical personnel. Minister Hsia said he was pleased with the hospital for introducing high quality healthcare services from Taiwan, creating a patient-friendly medical environment, and providing safer and more satisfactory healthcare for Taiwanese businesspeople and the Mainland public. He also encouraged the hospital to continue striving to provide better and safer medical services. He also hoped that the two sides could further promote medicinal, health, and healthcare administration service related exchanges and cooperation to benefit the medical care and health of the people on both sides.
Minister Hsia then went to the Dongguan TBA Tower, headquarters of the Dongguan TBA, for discussions with members of the Dongguan TBA. Among the 30 or so participants at the symposium were Dongguan TBA President Ti So-ling, Guangzhou TBA Vice President Wan Hsien-neng, Shenzhen TBA President Chen He-tai, and other Taiwanese business representatives. The attending Taiwanese businesspeople affirmed the MAC for its care and attention to Taiwanese businesspeople during the discussions. They offered suggestions on social security, real estate purchasing, financing and other issues regarding investment and business operations in the Mainland. They also hoped that the MAC would help them resolve the issues such as the inclusion of hospitals for Taiwanese businesspeople into the National Health insurance Program and funding and teacher resources for Taiwanese Children’s schools.
On the cross-strait interaction issues raised by the Taiwanese businesspeople, the MAC stated that it would reflect these matters to the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) through the cross-strait competent agencies’ liaison mechanism and request the TAO's assistance in coordinating the Mainland departments to seek effective resolution. As for issues raised by the Taiwanese businesspeople that may be resolved through domestic procedures, the MAC provided on-site feedback on measures that may be taken, and also brought back to Taiwan the suggestions proposed to consult with relevant authorities on further coordination and handling. The MAC hopes to bring the problems faced by Taiwanese businesspeople in the Mainland into light, and fight for their rights and interests.
In the afternoon, Minister Hsia visited the Taiwan Businessmen's Dongguan School. He listened to a school briefing, visited the school's Taiwan Cultural Education Center, and participated in the students' classes. Minister Hsia expressed his deep respect for the school's and parents' dedication to the Taiwanese children’s education. He affirmed the school's performance and also thanked the teachers for their painstaking efforts in teaching and guiding the students. Minister Hsia also said that the MAC would continue to serve as a communication and contact bridge, continue to provide care for the families of Taiwanese businesspeople, and protect the educational rights and interests of the children of Taiwanese businesspeople.