2017 APEC VOF｜My Experiences at 2017 APEC Voices of the Future, Vietnam
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
young people from the 21 APEC Economies to attend APEC.
It was one of the most inspiring, impressive and mind-blowing experiences I’ve ever had to be a delegate of APEC VOF 2017. The honor to represent Chinese Taipei economy and my beloved country Taiwan, Republic of China, has been beyond description.
The visit to 2017 APEC VOF of Chinese Taipei delegation was fully supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Republic of China and Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, to which I would like to give my greatest gratitude. I would like to thank all senior officials of MOFA and Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, especially Hsu Pei-Yung Director General of Department of International Organizations, MOFA, and Chiu Darson Secretary General of Chinese Taipei Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee, who contributed to assisting in everything throughout our APEC VOF visit.
in conjunction with the APEC CEO Summit 2017.
I would also like to thank all staff members in Vietnam, who put efforts throughout our visit, making the event a successful, pleasant and memorable one.
I am grateful to Alice, Ben and Meng-Ju for being the best teammates and together we spoke out as the Taiwanese youth in APEC VOF, and to Louis for being our educator and also a big brother of our team whenever we needed support and help. Without the efforts of many people, who I fail to name you all but owe you my appreciation, I would not be able to be at APEC Voices of the Future 2017 representing Chinese Taipei economy.
To my parents. To my beloved country.
PART 1: BEFORE THE JOURNEY
1–1 How we became APEC VOF Chinese Taipei representatives
(1) Model APEC
Since 2007, each year there have been two Model APEC camps in northern and southern Taiwan respectively held by Chinese Taipei Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee (CTPECC) to recruit the official APEC VOF representatives of Chinese Taipei economy.
This year, I participated in the southern Model APEC camp in Kaohsiung. During the four-day event there were lectures about APEC’s influence, function, meeting rules, and most importantly, workshop in which all trainees got the opportunity to put all knowledge about our region and APEC into actual practice through playing roles as senior officials, ministers or business representatives from different APEC member economies.
During the Model APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), we imitated different member economies, put ourselves in the shoes of the member economies’ representatives, and tried to negotiate with others on various regional topics from the standpoints and interests of respective economy. It was during the animated discussions that we grasped a better idea of how these meetings work in APEC and how all member economies collectively solve the toughest regional challenges. After fruitful conference sessions and competitive selection, I was luckily chosen as one of the top-12 trainees and finally awarded the 4th place for the policy report about kiwifruit representing the senior official of New Zealand.
(2) Interview at Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Taiwan Institute of Economic Research
For both northern and southern batch of Model APEC there were 4 potential delegates each invited to the interview, and 2 out of 4 respectively would be selected as the formal delegates of Chinese Taipei economy. As a result I was luckily given the chance to participate the interview held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
For me, it was not an easy interview. Besides a short self-introduction and several questions for my past experiences in international engagements, I was asked about professional and political issues regarding Taiwan participating APEC as Chinese Taipei economy, and my insights into how APEC could push forward our regional collaboration and prosperity when WTO seemed to be stagnated and how Taiwan could act as a responsible, indispensable partner in this regional cooperation. These are all crucial problems for Taiwan’s engagement in regional cooperation and international society.
Much to my surprise, I was officially selected as 2017 APEC VOF Chinese Taipei delegate after a competitive, vigorous final interview. Hardly could I express how grateful, honored and motivated I was to learn that I was given the honorable opportunity to represent my beloved country in such important international summit. From that day my journey of APEC started.
1–2 What our team did for preparation and how we did it
I got to meet my amazing teammates with whom I had a memorable adventure together during the APEC VOF journey not long after the final interview, and after that we soon started to work on the preparation for our APEC journey.
Our delegation was composed of four delegates and one educator. They are Yi Hsin (Alice) specializing Labor Relations and National Development, Meng Ju (Vivid), specializing Foreign Languages and International Relations, Pang Ning (Ben), specializing International Business, and me — Yi-Ju (Ivory), specializing Political Science and Economics, as well as our team educator Wen Pin (Louis) specializing regional economic integration research at Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. Each of us have vibrant personalities, different specialties, diverse interests and concerns, which makes our team dynamic and somehow a good representation of the energetic Taiwanese youth generations.
Not long after the interview that our first face-to-face team meetup took place and we formed a stronger bond and an efficient working mode by dividing all the theme topics and to-do work among ourselves. After that, despite of everyone’s busy schedule, long distances and time differences, we had regular online meetings on a weekly basis for one month to keep track of everyone’s working schedule. Before setting off, we had arranged the research materials and cultural performance in order.
What impressed me the most was that our team, regardless of the diversity of backgrounds, specialties and concerns, defined “inclusiveness” as the core value of our delegation, and our team had fully demonstrated and stuck to the spirit of inclusiveness until the very last moment of our diplomatic visit.
PART 2: The adventure — APEC VOF 2017, Da Nang, Vietnam
2–1 APEC VOF Youth Forum & Youth Declaration
Established in 1998, APEC Voices of the Future (VOF) is an independent youth leadership and educational diplomacy program within the APEC process under the APEC Voices Leadership Council and invites youth leaders from 21 APEC member economies annually. This year, APEC as well as VOF Youth Forum was hosted by Da Nang, Vietnam. We were officially welcomed at the opening ceremony and met with our fellow VOF delegates on the Youth Forum.
In the VOF Youth Forum Panel we heard from Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Former UN Under Secretary General talking about sustainable development goals aiming to tackle climate change and end poverty by 2030. The keynote speech grasped attention and common concerns of all VOF delegates since climate change and wealth/development gap are inevitably crucial problems of our generation, serving as a great start for brainstorming and discussion later on.
In the VOF plenary session, each delegation gave presentations on their viewpoints under the theme topic “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared World”. Many delegations mentioned the importance of cooperation, communication and openness, while developed distinctive points and highlights on the basis of these core values. As for us, Chinese Taipei delegation gave a speech emphasizing the importance of inclusiveness and “H.O.P.E.” — Harvesting Opportunities from Powerful Engagements, in which we believe would be what unites us and brings all of us together as a whole around our region. For us, inclusiveness is not only a slogan for cooperation but for acknowledging every member economy and their differences, for including international trade and regional integration, for leaving no one behind while stepping forward to a better world, and for endeavoring to achieve peace of all humanity and the environment.
After the presentations of all economies, we were separated to group discussions upon different sub-topics. Underwent several animated discussions, we came to a short conclusion under each sub-topic and had these ideas written in our Youth Declaration. What impressed me the most were the knowledge, insights and humanity that my fellow VOF delegates showed during our discussions. For example, we focused on sustainable goals such as climate change and education while pursuing economic growth; we dedicated to improving the state of the world while trying not to leave anyone behind; we cared about wealth and urban-rural gaps while developing the edge-cutting technologies. My fellow VOF delegates were not only my friends but also inspirations who showed me a brand new definition of “leadership” and way of and thinking.
2–2 CEO Summit
It was a privilege to participate in the APEC CEO Summit, meet with lots of prestigious political leaders and CEOs from respective economy within Asia Pacific region. During the summit, we heard the opinions from leaders around the globe which shed light on the most crucial issues for our region and generation. The plenary sessions included the future of globalization and work, the new job creators, the digital age, the new frontiers in trade and sustainable growth. What’s more exciting and impressive was to on-site listen to the keynote addresses of influential political leaders, including Donald Trump the President of USA, Xi Jing-Ping the President of China, and Duterte the President of Philippines, and learnt their attitudes and strategies toward our regional cooperation.
Another highlight was the networking break time. We got the chance to meet with CEOs or influencers from across the region, and conducted lots of inspiring conversations. One of the most impressive experiences was the dialogue with a Chinese CEO in press industry. He talked about China’s speech freedom and press industry development, claiming that it has been much freer and fairer, and mentioned China’s growing power in geopolitical and economic arena, reminding me of pondering what role Taiwan could play in this regional integration and collaboration. Another impressive conversation that impressed me the most was a short but deep talk with an Australian lawyer. She was a role model for all young girls to look up to as a resilient woman who overcame challenges from gender with diligence, decency and elegance. Last but not least, I was deeply motivated and impressed when I got the chance to meet Mr. Yang, President of a real estate company based in Vietnam. He was the icon of Taiwanese self-made businessmen who started from scratch, made their way through running SMEs overseas and finally settled abroad.
Moreover, Chinese Taipei delegation was lucky to meet Taiwanese CEO representative Jan Hung-Tze President of PChome. President Jan generously spared his time talking about his insights into the Digital Age, exchanging opinions with youth delegates, and motivating us to be proactive and vocal during the forum. President Jan and the CEOs I’ve met are all mentors and motivations for me to do my utmost standing as an energetic and open-minded Taiwanese youth ambassador.
2–3 Cultural tour in Hoi An, Vietnam
As the Voices of the Future delegates we had the chance to explore more of the beauty of Vietnam outside of the conference hall. We visited the well-known ancient town Hoi An, noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Upon arrival, we visited the Peace Village of Quang Nam and the Tam Thanh Mutual Village Art for better community. Both of the villages were built or co-run by Vietnam and South Korea, demonstrating the collaboration relations between APEC members. In the evening, we tried DIY lanterns, tasted local street food, and witnessed the beauty of Hoi-An ancient town. Though still flooded after the typhoon, the beauty and glory of the city was visible.
This day was the most casual, enjoyable but impressive day for me because it was in those details of daily lives that decency and admirable characters of our fellow VOF friends got best shown. During our tour, I talked with lots of friends about our current endeavors, career plans, future goals and ultimate ambitions. Though striving in different fields and cultivating different expertise, I found we all care about and want to contribute to our communities, region and world. It was so touching and encouraging to find soul mates that have probably nothing in common with you but share the same firm faith.
Another scene that shocked me was the countryside of Vietnam on our way to Hoi-An. It was just after a strong typhoon hitting and causing severe floods all over middle Vietnam that we arrived and visited this ancient town. Along the highway we were escorted by police and rushed through the wide, neat straight paths, yet just a few meters away from us beside the highway were the villages and rural dwellers suffering from muddy floods about 3 feet deep. It was a shocking and overwhelming scene that I sensed the gap between the villagers and I yet couldn’t help a thing, seemingly being the microcosm of the world nowadays that there was a gap between the poor and the wealthy, the powerful, and the influential which the former could hardly step across. At that moment I once again reminded myself that I should always cherish the blessings and opportunities I’ve got to be educated, be heard, and even be the youth ambassador of my country, and should hold empathy as the dearest value of my life that I should never forget to put myself in others, especially the needy’s, shoes.
2–4 Cultural Night
On the cultural night, we wrapped up our fruits of discussion in the past few days by officially signing the Youth Declaration 2017 and being granted certificates of Voices of the Future, completing this trip of inspiration.
After that comes the party! All delegations of APEC VOF were invited to have a show best representing the vibrant cultures of our own economies on the cultural night. For me the cultural night was truly a cultural and spiritual feast because I saw energy, diversity and dynamism in each delegation’s performances.
In the Chinese Taipei delegation, Alice was leading our cultural night performance. Dancing and singing to the theme song of Summer Universiade 2017 hosted by Taipei, Embrace the World with You (擁抱世界擁抱你), our delegation highlighted inclusiveness and diversity as the core values of our society. Baseball, aboriginal dances, Taipei 101, and sky lantern, we merged all these elements along with the revised, catchy lyrics into our performance to demonstrate the abundant cultures and precious values in Taiwan.
Revised lyrics of Embrace the World with You:
“We are Taiwanese, food is good to eat! We are Taiwanese, people friendly!
We are Taiwanese, full of energy! We are Taiwanese, embrace everything!”
At last, Vietnamese delegates invited everyone to dance together to an energetic cute song, which was the most memorable and harmonious picture that I’d remember for a lifetime. Despite the language barriers and cultural differences, I felt pure happiness and enjoyment when I sang, danced, laughed and exchanged local gifts with all our fellow friends. For me, the friendship, decency and elegancy I gained and learnt from all of my fellow friends were the most precious gifts that I would keep with me for good.
“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit,” said Jawaharlal Nehru. It was such a lovely night to immerse myself in the beautiful cultures of all friends from our region. Despite the language barriers and different growing backgrounds, the open-mindedness and admiration to each other’s cultures had been the key cornerstones of the sincere friendship among us. Woven with laughter and joy, this was one of the warmest and most lovely night that I’d remember for good.
PART 3: AFTER THE JOURNEY
3–1 Reflection: Endless ripples — a journey to be continued
During the whole journey, we were treated as diplomats and tried our best to be like ones. I still clearly remembered that one of the fellow VOF delegate tell me how honored but anxious at the same time to be a VOF delegate that she didn’t think she was well-prepared and outstanding enough for this opportunity. “We are never gonna be 100 percent well-prepared,” I replied, “however, we can be 120 percent hard-working and diligent to be and stand out against all odds.” This was the faith I have held tightly and supported me throughout this amazing journey. I might never be well-prepared or outstanding enough as others do, but I hope that I would always be hardworking, diligent and eager to trying new things, meeting new friends and learning new knowledge.
Back to Taiwan and back to normal life, I still constantly recall and reflect upon what I’ve experienced, especially the amazing people who demonstrated open-mindedness and inclusiveness and made my journey a fruitful and enlightening one. I had gained so much more than I’ve ever imagined, and below I’d like to sum up the main takeaways during my whole journey.
(1) You are what you think
As the former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said, “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” This quote has long served as one of my mottos and got well demonstrated by my fellow VOF delegates. After learning their stories and interacting with them, I found that what truly shine were their characters behind the surfaces, rather than those fancy titles. It were their thoughts, visions and quality of daring to dream that made them who they are and who they could be, rather than the external decoration of their names. Many of them are youth leaders, entrepreneurs or change-makers, and they share the same courage to dream and determination to take actions.
(2) Stay humble, stay hungry
There are times when I feel so anxious that I am not good enough, or so proud that I achieve something that I’ve dreamt of. However, my experiences and friends I ‘ve met in APEC taught me how to start afresh from zero. Starting afresh enabled me to stay humble and hungry that I was always ready and eager to learning from everyone and everything I came across, and find true confidence which comes from believing me being myself rather than acting as the roles under countless given titles.
“Needn’t worry someone is stronger than you; just worry ones who are more talented than you work even harder than you.” Many of my fellow VOF delegates are so talented and unceasingly hard-working that they would always be my mentors and reminders of keeping the virtue of staying humble and hungry. Also, I’d like to spread this spirit back in Taiwan with my communities and inspire more ambitious youths at home.
(3) Be open-minded and inclusive to diversity
At APEC, I saw so many brilliant and one-in-a-million leaders, whereas I found they share open-mindedness as their common personality. Open-mindedness and inclusiveness mean the flexibility to adopt changes and shocks, the willingness to learn and change, and the consciousness of empathy. Only with the flexibility and willingness to change can we always be on the cutting edge of our fields and ensure ourselves be as dynamic as the ever-changing world; only with empathy toward others and the world can we stay gold, stay true to ourselves and always keep the warmth in the depth of our hearts.
As the saying goes, “Cleverness is a gift, but kindness is a choice.” Inclusiveness and open-mindedness are also choices that make greatness above expertise. May we be not only gifted and talented in our fields but also keep the pure warmth and open, inclusive souls of humanity, always.
(4) Be connected and communicative
In APEC VOF, from the speeches and life experiences of the political leaders, CEOs to VOF delegates, I saw how connections bond people together, how emotional bonds foster friendship and team spirit, and how team work ignites fire of impossible. Among the youth delegates, it is the sincere communication and interactions that built up our genuine friendships, and our authentic friendships and understandings that will create endless ripples of future connections and spark potential cooperation which can make Asia Pacific region better as a whole. From the depths of my heart I look forward to working hand in hand with these brilliant, energetic people in the near future. A faithful believer of inclusiveness, connection and communication, I am strongly convinced that only with more collaboration and partnership could our region step forward to a better environment.
The endless ripples of friendship have been spreading. Until now, we are blessed and happy to have our fellow Pilipino, Korean, Japanese and Thai APEC alumni visiting Taiwan after our memorable experiences in Da Nang. Each reunion has been a refreshment and reminder of our amazing memories in APEC VOF that strengthens our bonds and connections with each other. I have been so convinced that our genuine friendships and well-bound communities have created and will keep on creating more possibilities for cooperation and empower us to be not only the voices but also the pioneers and leaders of our future.
3–2 Recommendations
(1) For future APEC VOF representatives of Chinese Taipei
It is no doubt the greatest honor to represent our own country, referred as a member economy under APEC rules, at such an important regional summit and speak up as the voice of the future. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You must be the change that you wish to see in the world.” This best summarizes what I wish to share with my future fellow VOF representatives after my impressive journey. From the very beginning until the very end, staying well-prepared, flexible and open-minded would be the best recipe for a fruitful APEC experience.
Taiwan is a small country and Chinese Taipei is a medium economy, while it is the blend of vibrant civil cultures, the values of freedom and democracy, and the responsible attitude in international integration that formed our smart power and make us an indispensable partner in the global society. Standing as a Taiwanese youth and Chinese Taipei Voices of the Future, we must bear in mind the loving motherland and inclusive cultures that nurture us to become who we are and raise us up to more than we can be. Keep the faith and fire in the heart, and never forget the original mission and intention as a youth ambassador of Taiwan, a citizen of Asia Pacific region, and most importantly, the voices of the future.
(2) For the government
I suggest we take full advantage of meeting time with our respectable senior officials of MOFA and Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, or even the representative (which was a pity that we didn’t get the chance to meet this year’s Chinese Taipei representative Mr. Soong and our insights and voices as youth delegates), to inquire about how we could leverage our specialties and contribute to Taiwan’s engagement in APEC. Through the dialogues with senior officers, I gained lots of useful information and instructions which enabled me to get on track faster. It’d be helpful and meaningful if all VOF delegates get the chance to meet with the senior officers before and after APEC, just like we luckily did this year.
Meanwhile, I suggest we systematically collect information, gather VOF alumni and pass down our experiences year by year, fostering a Chinese Taipei APEC VOF connections and talent tank. The connections among young leaders would ignite thoughts, exchange opinions and experiences, making our VOF delegates better supported year by year.
3–3 References
For my on-spot notes of Youth Forum Keynote Speeches and APEC CEO Summit plenary sessions, please check: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fGdffTxQnJin7720-gpet3TPEIzt5VqD?usp=sharing
For APEC VOF Features, please check: https://www.apec.org/Press/Features
For Chinese Taipei APEC Study Center: http://www.ctasc.org.tw
By Chang Yi-Ju (Ivory), DEC 31 2017.
Double-Major Bachelor of Arts, Political Science & Economics, National Taiwan University.
Postscript
1 -
Arriving in Taiwan and waving goodbye to my teammates Alice, Meng-Ju, Ben and Louis, I sent a message to them saying how grateful I was to be part of our delegation and how inspiring to have them as my partners making my APEC experience complete. I expressed my gratitude, admiration and love for them, and at last made an expectation for myself, “Promise you that I’ll be a better me to fit you guys and our perfect team.” Much to my surprise but deeply touching, “Don’t fit in, Ivory. Stand out.”, Meng-Ju replied.
As the youngest delegate among my teammates, I had been learning from my teammates regarding many aspects. They are my partners, my brothers and sisters and my friends. It were them who taught me that not a single one of us could be missed out to make this amazing team, and each of us would be a best ambassador of Taiwan with the support of each other. Thank you all for being so supportive, motivating and inspiring for me during our APEC adventure and on the way to a better me. Let’s keep moving forward and stand out!
2 -
Alice and I first meet each other as a shaper and an intern at Global Shapers Community Taipei Hub, and since we meet she has been like a caring sister who supported me through ups and downs. Being a VOF delegate and her teammate has been an honor and a peaceful mission since I always have a good friend to consult and a sister to help. Our sisterhood strengthened our partnership, and our partnership fostered our sisterhood. APEC VOF had been the first and a wonderful memory for us to be teammates, and I knew our story and journey’s not going to stop here. Instead, it would be another scratch for us to explore our potential and develop better connections and emotional bonds.
