Taiwan has honored ten young Taiwanese living abroad as part of its efforts to build closer ties with the overseas community.
This is the first time that an award has been set up in honor of them. It was sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Culture and Education Foundation, which is a government-affiliated organization.
The ten outstanding recipients come from all walks of life and hail from different parts of the world, including Canada, Austria, South Africa and the United States. Four of the ten, honored at a ceremony in Taipei on Sunday, were women.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Ma Ying-jeou called on overseas Taiwanese to strive for excellence and build closer ties with Taiwan.
Ma also said the number of overseas Taiwanese students studying in Taiwan has hit a new record high.