Heh-Song Wang (ADB 1971–1995)
Wang Family Tours. Selma and I were very happy that my daughter Jean, her husband Ken, and our grandchildren Kelly and Kenny visited us and spent their summer vacation in Taipei,China. We were able to squeeze in family trips to Green Island here and to Japan and Singapore during their stay. In Singapore, we enjoyed visiting the Merlion, viewing Marina Bay Sands, and spending the day on Sentosa. In Japan, we traveled along the beautiful Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, where Kelly and Kenny were delighted to be able to do some sledding in the summertime. We also spent a memorable day hiking in Kamikochi, sometimes referred to as the Japanese Yosemite, and visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shirakawa-go, with its picturesque collection of thatched farmhouses surrounded by pine covered mountains.
Green Island, a sparsely populated island off the southeastern coast of Taipei,China, is a nature-lover’s paradise, free of large commercial developments. We enjoyed a dip in the Zhaori Hot Springs by the ocean; it is one of only three saltwater hot springs in the world.
Introducing New Diplomats to ADB. On July 6, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited me to give a seminar to its graduating class of new diplomats on “Taipei,China and ADB.” My presentation covered ADB’s background and organizational structure; Strategy 2020; Taipei,China’s role in ADB and participation in ADB operations; as well as new directions of regional economic and financial cooperation through ADB. Participants raised a number of interesting questions, such as
(1) How can we increase business opportunities from ADB for domestic manufacturers and consulting firms?
(2) Should domestic banks participate in co-financing with ADB? and
(3) What are the qualifications for receiving ADB shortterm training. The new diplomats noted that they had learned a lot about ADB and that the seminar was quite useful to their future work.
