April 17, 2018
No. 072
Sonja Becq, Vice-President of the Chamber of Representatives of the Kingdom of Belgium, is leading a four-member parliamentary delegation to Taiwan from April 16 to 20 at the invitation of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) government.
Through the visit, the delegation aims to gain a better understanding of the Taiwan government’s major policies, recent political and economic developments, and relations with mainland China, as well as current security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.
The delegation will call on Vice President Chen Chien-jen and call at the Executive Yuan, Legislative Yuan, Ministry of Justice, National Development Council, and Mainland Affairs Council. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a luncheon to welcome the delegation. The members will also visit sites of cultural and economic interest, including the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Institute for Information Industry, European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan, Hsinchu Science Park, Industrial Technology Research Institute, and National Palace Museum.
In 2015, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives passed a resolution supporting the signing of a bilateral investment agreement (BIA) between Taiwan and the European Union, and Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Taiwan’s promotion of offshore wind farms has also attracted interest from Belgian enterprises.
This delegation is the second Vice-President Becq has led to Taiwan. Peter Dedecker and Renate Hufkens, members of the Chamber of Representatives, and Hamza Fassi-Fihri, a member of the Brussels Parliament, round out the delegation, which represents both the federal and local levels of parliament, as well as Dutch- and French-speaking groups.(E)