May 28, 2023
No. 177
New Zealand parliamentarians Brooke van Velden, Deputy Leader of the ACT Party, and James McDowall, ACT Party Spokesperson for Defence, are visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from May 29 to June 1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warmly welcomes their visit. The pair will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu and join a banquet hosted by Deputy Minister Tien Chung-kwang. They will also call at the National Security Council, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations, and the Bureau of Foreign Trade to engage in in-depth discussions on issues of mutual interest.
On March 29 this year, the New Zealand Parliament inaugurated the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Taiwan. ACT Party Leader David Seymour as well as Ms. van Velden and Mr. McDowall are all key members of the APPG. On May 16, APPG Cochairs Simon O’Connor and Ingrid Leary—who are respectively members of the National Party and the Labour Party—released a joint letter on behalf of all APPG members publicly calling on the New Zealand government and parliament to support Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Organization and the World Health Assembly. The visit by Ms. van Velden and Mr. McDowall is another concrete demonstration of support. The people and government of Taiwan are grateful for their backing.
As like-minded partners that share the core values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, Taiwan and New Zealand continue to deepen cordial ties across all domains. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Taiwan-New Zealand economic cooperation agreement (ANZTEC). Annual bilateral trade has exceeded NZ$3 billion (around US$1.9 billion), making Taiwan the eighth-largest market for exports of goods from New Zealand. Taiwan and New Zealand will continue to build on these solid foundations to further deepen friendly relations and enhance bilateral exchanges. (E)