July 17, 2024
No. 245
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung met with a delegation from the Senate of Ireland on the morning of July 17. The delegation was led by Vice Chair Diarmuid Wilson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and also included Senators Gerard Craughwell, Gerry Horkan, Sharon Keogan, and Garret Ahearn. The minister and the delegation exchanged views on a number of issues, such as bilateral economic, trade, and technology cooperation; developments across the Taiwan Strait and the region; education; and tourism.
Minister Lin welcomed Senator Wilson on his third visit to Taiwan. He noted that Taiwan and Ireland were both island nations with strong and well-developed high-tech and artificial intelligence sectors. He also stated that faced with the expansionism of authoritarian regimes in recent years, it had become all the more important for democratic partners to unite in solidarity. Senator Wilson and the other delegates recognized the importance of democratic supply chains and commended Taiwan on its leading position in the semiconductor industry. They pledged to continue promoting Taiwan-Ireland cooperation at all levels in such domains as the economy, trade, cybersecurity, education, and technology.
Vice Minister Remus Li-kuo Chen held a dinner banquet for the delegation on July 16. The members of the delegation thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for its generous hospitality and said that they were deeply moved by the warmth and friendliness of the Taiwanese people.
MOFA sincerely appreciates the staunch support for Taiwan that the delegation has demonstrated through this visit. MOFA looks forward to building on the existing solid foundation with Ireland to further bilateral relations and work with other like-minded partners to safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region and the world. (E)