In his congratulatory message read at the opening ceremony, President Lee Teng-hui used the phrase, "establishing yourself and then helping others to become established," to describe the significance of the event and to clarify the intent of the R.O.C. to aid developing countries and fulfill its international responsibilities. As a practical matter, given the challenges currently facing the R.O.C.
李總統登輝先生在展覽前開幕典禮上的書面致詞，用「己立立人，己達達人」形容這次展覽的意義，固然足以說明我國協助開發中國家、善盡國際責任的美意；而實際上，以我國目前經貿發展所面臨的難題：市場太過集中、外匯存底過多，必須靠分散市場、尋求投資環境，來解決困境。