April 17, 2024
No. 143
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu hosted a banquet on April 16 to welcome a six-member cross-party delegation from the New Zealand Parliament led by Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Select Committee Joseph Mooney MP and Cochair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan Ingrid Leary MP.
Minister Wu first thanked New Zealand for openly supporting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait in recent years. He also pointed out that in facing expanding authoritarianism, Taiwan was willing to cooperate with New Zealand and other democratic nations to jointly safeguard a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Chairperson Mooney and Cochair Leary lauded Taiwan for its vibrant democratic society. They stated that this visit served to enhance the delegation’s understanding of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the development of Taiwan’s high-tech industries, democratic transition, and cultural links between the indigenous peoples of the two countries. They stressed that New Zealand was fully committed to defending the rules-based international order, remained greatly concerned about global peace and stability, and looked forward to further elevating the friendship between Taiwan and New Zealand.
In his remarks, Minister Wu also noted Taiwan’s support for red wine from Australia and seafood from Japan, as well as New Zealand’s approval of pineapple imports from Taiwan, stressing the importance of democratic supply chains in countering economic threats from totalitarian countries. He stated that since the signing of the Taiwan-New Zealand economic cooperation agreement (ANZTEC) in 2013, bilateral trade and exchanges in such areas as indigenous peoples’ affairs, agriculture, and culture had continued to expand. Minister Wu added that, based on this sound foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would further deepen collaboration with New Zealand and other democratic partners. (E)