March 21, 2024
No. 105
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu met with a Paraguayan delegation led by Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Gustavo Emigdio Villate Samaniego on the morning of March 21. The delegation also included President of Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University and Presidential Economic Advisor Jorge Daniel Duarte Rolón and Ministerial Advisor Horacio José Caniza Vierci. Minister Wu welcomed the delegation’s visit and stated that it would further deepen bilateral cooperation.
Minister Wu spoke fondly about his meeting with President of Paraguay Santiago Peña while visiting Guatemala for the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo in January. He recalled that they exchanged views on various issues related to bilateral collaboration and that President Peña held a videoconference to congratulate President-elect Lai Ching-te and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim on the day of their election victory. Minister Wu commended the enduring diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Paraguay and the close interactions between their governments and peoples. He stated that Taiwan would continue to assist in the Paraguayan government’s development efforts so as to jointly advance the welfare of both peoples.
Minister Villate stated that before traveling to Taiwan, President Peña instructed him to extend the president’s warm regards to the people and government of Taiwan, thank Taiwan for its long-standing support of Paraguay’s important development policies, and reaffirm the robust and solid diplomatic partnership between Taiwan and Paraguay. Minister Villate also said that he was deeply impressed by Taiwan’s political and economic achievements, technological prowess, and education system and that his visits to the 2024 Smart City Summit & Expo and the 2050 Net Zero City Expo were productive.
Following the meeting, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Remus Li-kuo Chen hosted a luncheon for Minister Villate and his delegation, as well as Paraguayan Ambassador to Taiwan Carlos Fleitas, Director General of the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Shih Chung-liang, and representatives of other agencies. The attendees discussed the progress made in bilateral cooperation initiatives, including a health information management efficiency enhancement project in Paraguay, Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University, and assistance in strengthening information security and establishing a 5G clean network in Paraguay, thereby further bolstering collaboration between the two countries.
The travel itinerary arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Minister Villate and his delegation included visits to the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ Administration for Cyber Security, the NHIA, the National Science and Technology Council, the National Communications Commission, the National Institute of Cyber Security, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), Hsinchu Science Park, the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. (E)