December 8, 2022
No. 371
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Jaushieh Joseph Wu conferred the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy upon Waldemar Andzel, Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and Chairperson of the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Group, at a ceremony this morning in honor of his outstanding contributions to advancing relations between Taiwan and Poland. Mr. Andzel’s visit and acceptance of the friendship medal this year, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Taipei Representative Office in Poland, underscores the close and enduring partnership between the two countries and the significance of the Polish Parliament’s long-standing support for Taiwan.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Minister Wu recognized Mr. Andzel as an important force in the Polish Parliament for promoting friendly bilateral relations and supporting Taiwan’s international participation. Mr. Andzel is Chairperson of the second largest parliamentary group in the Polish Sejm and Cochair of the Formosa Club. Minister Wu thanked Mr. Andzel for speaking up for Taiwan, calling for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and backing Lithuania’s efforts to deepen exchanges with Taiwan. Mr. Andzel facilitated the Polish government’s donation of 400,000 vaccine doses to Taiwan during COVID-19 outbreaks. He also coordinated Taiwan’s donation of US$3.5 million to Poland’s governmental Strategic Reserves Agency to assist with the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees. Hailing Mr. Andzel as a true friend of Taiwan, Minister Wu expressed special appreciation for Mr. Andzel’s statement that democratic Taiwan has a great and glorious future as long as it has the support of international friends.
Mr. Andzel also spoke at the ceremony, emphasizing that Poland and Taiwan are close partners that share the values of democracy and human rights, support each other, and stand together in the face of trials and tribulations. He noted that the two countries have enjoyed rapidly increasing cooperation in the economy, biotechnology, culture, and other domains in recent years, adding that he looked forward to greater future collaboration in critical industries. In addition, Mr. Andzel reiterated that the Polish Parliament has consistently backed the security of Taiwan and peace across the Taiwan Strait. He pledged to continue supporting and speaking up for Taiwan through various platforms, including the Polish Parliament and the Formosa Club, as well as the friendly trilateral cooperation framework among Poland, the United States, and Taiwan.
In attendance at the ceremony were Sejm Members from the visiting Polish delegation, Violetta Porowska, Jerzy Polaczek, and Cezary Grabarczyk—the three Vice Chairpersons of the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Group—as well as Jarosław Krajewski, Dobromir Sośnierz, and Agnieszka Soin. Also attending were Director of the Polish Office in Taipei Cyryl Kozaczewski, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Taiwan Monsignor Stefano Mazzotti, and Head of the European Economic and Trade Office Filip Grzegorzewski.
Minister Wu also hosted a luncheon to welcome the Polish delegation. The two sides engaged in extensive exchanges on bilateral economics and trade, medical and healthcare cooperation, semiconductors, cross-strait relations, and the situation in Ukraine. Mr. Andzel thanked Taiwan for providing Poland with US$11 million in funds, as well as medicines and other supplies to assist with the resettlement of the more than three million Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Minister Wu also discussed a memorandum of understanding that the R.O.C. (Taiwan) government signed with Kyiv to fund the purchase of power generation equipment and to provide blankets, food, and other humanitarian relief supplies to help the Ukrainian people through the winter. Minister Wu stated that the government has allocated US$56 million to support postwar reconstruction in Ukraine and would be willing to work with Poland to promote related efforts.
On the issue of cross-strait relations, Minister Wu stressed that the people of Taiwan are peace loving. He said that Taiwan will not engage in provocative actions to escalate tension and will remain open to cross-strait dialogue. However, he added that China has continued to dispatch military aircraft and vessels to intimidate Taiwan, publicly refused to renounce the use of force against Taiwan, and set political conditions for cross-strait dialogue, which the Taiwanese people find unacceptable. Minister Wu reiterated that in the face of authoritarian threats, international support is essential to ensuring Taiwan’s security as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He expressed gratitude for Poland’s support of Taiwan’s international participation and its concern for cross-strait security.
With the support and assistance of the Polish Parliament, in recent years Taiwan and Poland have signed a number of bilateral agreements on areas including youth working holidays, aviation, mutual exchange of driving licenses, avoidance of double taxation, cooperation in science and higher education, and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. The two countries will continue building on the strong foundation of these interactions to steadily enhance cooperation in technology, research and development, trade, education, biotechnology, and other strategic industries, thereby deepening their close and resilient partnership. (E)