October 13, 2023
No. 341
On October 12, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Jaushieh Joseph Wu hosted a banquet for a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians led by Senator Michael MacDonald, Co-chair of the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The five-member cross-party group also included Senators Leonidas Housakos, Pierre Dalphond, David Richards, and Marilou McPhedran.
At the event, Minister Wu stressed that as China continued to engage in military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan, he sincerely welcomed the Canadian parliamentary delegation and said that their visit demonstrated firm support for Taiwan. He stated that he was pleased that the Canadian government had released its Indo-Pacific Strategy and had sent warships through the Taiwan Strait and the wider region, as this was conducive to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Minister Wu added that Taiwan was determined to defend itself and hoped to deepen its cooperative relationship with partners such as Canada in a collective fight against authoritarian coercion and in defense of democratic values.
Senator MacDonald said that this was the first visit to Taiwan for most members of the delegation and that the trip had made a strong impression by giving them deeper insight into Taiwan’s political and economic development. He said the delegation felt honored to see the concrete realization of democracy, freedom, and human rights, so highly valued by Canada, in Taiwan. The senator then presented Minister Wu with a copy of the Canada-Taiwan Relations Framework Act he had proposed prior to the delegation’s visit to demonstrate the Canadian parliament’s staunch support of democratic Taiwan. (E)