April 9, 2024
No.128
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu hosted a dinner on April 8 to welcome a cross-party delegation of five parliamentarians from Australia. The group was led by Shayne Neumann MP, Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; and Andrew Wallace MP, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Welcoming the guests with Taiwan Beer, Minister Wu noted in his remarks that Australia was an important partner that actively spoke up for Taiwan at major international events. He said economic, trade, and investment relations were increasingly close, and a growing number of Taiwanese youths were choosing to study and work in Australia. Minister Wu commended Australia for being an active member of the Indo-Pacific that strived to maintain the rules-based international order and defend the universal values of democracy, freedom, and openness.
Chair Neumann said Taiwan and Australia were democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific that shared close economic and trade ties and strong cultural and people-to-people connections. Deputy Chair Wallace underlined that although Australia and Taiwan had both been subjected to economic coercion, Australia would continue to stand together with other international partners in support of Taiwan.
In recent years, Taiwan and Australia have steadily deepened cooperation in spheres including economics, trade, investment, clean energy, education, culture, biotechnology, scientific research, and indigenous affairs. The strength of the friendship between the countries is further demonstrated by the visit of the Australian parliamentary delegation. Looking ahead, the two sides will continue to advance friendly cooperation based on reciprocity and mutual benefit. (E)