Nonetheless, President Chen Shui-bian greeted him on his arrival and stated that Taiwan's politicians had to create "an unfettered writing environment" for authors of literature. In so doing, the president was commenting on the constraints mainland China placed on its artists 'work and spiritual freedom, and on how this state of affairs was reflected in the fact that Ha Jin himself had been compelled to live abroad and write in English.
總統發表了政治人物必須為文學創作者營造一個「無障礙的寫作環境」談話，言下之意，直指中國大陸對藝術家種種創作及心靈自由的箝制，以此呼應哈金被迫異鄉漂泊，乃至必須選擇以英語寫作的命運。