SOPA 2016 Awards Gala Dinner Keynote Speaker Announced

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - Jun 1, 2016 - The keynote speaker for the presentation of The Society of Publishers in Asia 2016 Awards for Editorial Excellence was announced today.

This year's event will feature Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan's former president.

The gala awards dinner will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday evening June 15, 2016.

Mr. Ma was elected president of Taiwan in 2008 and held power for eight years, leaving office on May 20. He began his two-term presidency by pledging to improve cross-strait relations, and a capstone of his tenure was a historic meeting with China's leader, Xi Jinping, in November 2015. It was the first such meeting since the 1940s, when the Chinese Nationalists retreated across the Taiwan Strait after being defeated in a civil war by the Communists.

Mr. Ma was born in Hong Kong and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1981. Married with two daughters, he previously served as Taiwan's justice minister and was mayor of Taipei. He also served three terms as the chairman of the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party.   

In his first overseas public appearance since leaving office in late May, Mr. Ma will share his thoughts about cross-strait relations and the significance of the historic November meeting as well as address such issues as the increasing tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Media are welcome to attend. Please register via http://goo.gl/forms/Nl0yNXu23P2rC6zs1 by June 6 (Monday) to make a reservation. Due to venue limitation, each media organization can only assign 1 reporter, 1 photographer and 1 videographer to attend the session.

Now in their 18th year, the SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence honor the outstanding achievements and contributions of the region's journalists and are widely regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the publishing industry. This year, awards will be given in 18 categories, including feature writing, lifestyle coverage and photography.

To reserve your tickets for the SOPA 2016 Awards for Editorial Excellence at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 15, please contact the SOPA Secretariat at Tel: +852 3589-9778 / mail@sopasia.com or visit http://www.sopawards.com.

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About SOPA:

The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) was founded in 1982 to champion freedom of the press, promote excellence in journalism and endorse best practices for all local and regional publishing platforms in the Asia Pacific region. SOPA is a not-for-profit organization based in Hong Kong and represents global, regional and local media companies across Asia. The Society of Publishers in Asia is also host to the annual SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence, which serve as a world-class benchmark for quality journalism in the region. www.sopasia.com

Press release prepared on behalf of The Society of Publishers in Asia by New Point Marketing.

Distributed on behalf of The Society of Publishers in Asia by Newswire Partner Media OutReach.