The President's office repeatedly stated that this appointment was an "historic meeting between masters of philosophy." They did not breach the matter of politics. The much-anticipated "philosophical encounter" took place at 9: 30 am on March 27 at the Taipei Guest House.
總統府則一再聲明，這次總統與達賴的會面是「世紀性的哲王之會」，因為兩者都對哲學有深厚的研究，不涉及政治。