Alexander Tah-ray Yui
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
August 30, 2023
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Good evening!
It is a great honor to attend this reception to celebrate the 78th National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, which will be observed this Saturday, September 2. On behalf of the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minster Wu, I extend my warmest congratulations and regard to the people and government of Vietnam on this auspicious occasion.
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the achievements of Director Dung. Since taking office in Taipei two years ago, you have actively engaged with both government officials and business industry representatives. Together with our government, you have helped further deepen the substantive relations between our countries. I am sure that the results of your work are widely admired by all the esteemed guests here tonight.
As we all know, Vietnam is an important neighbor to Taiwan. It is a dear friend, as well as a close partner under our New Southbound Policy. Our countries play considerable roles in advancing peace and prosperity in the region. Among New Southbound Policy partner nations, Vietnam is most similar to Taiwan with respect to culture and customs.
Since our countries mutually established representative offices and aviation links in 1992, bilateral exchanges and cooperation have grown much closer in such areas as the economy, trade, investment, and labor services. We have also enjoyed robust collaboration in the fields of science and technology, environmental protection, public health, education, agriculture, transportation and communication, infrastructure development, and culture.
Currently, our bilateral relations are extremely strong in many respects. For instance, we are each other’s fifth-largest trading partners. Taiwan is Vietnam’s top destination for workers, and our country is Vietnam’s fourth-largest source of direct foreign investment. Meanwhile, Vietnam is Taiwan’s largest source of new immigrants and foreign students. We welcome the Vietnam government’s recent decision to open its e-visa system to Taiwan passport holders. I am confident that our bilateral relations in tourism and trade will reach even greater heights in the years to come.
Taiwan is fully prepared to join the CPTPP. As our countries have highly complementary economies and frequent people-to-people exchanges, Taiwan hopes that Vietnam will support its accession to this trade bloc. Together we can better promote prosperity and development for not only our countries but also the region as a whole.
In order to deepen the friendship between our countries, Taiwan looks forward to strengthening think tank exchanges, higher education cooperation, and Vietnamese language education in Taiwan. By ramping up cultural exchanges, our countries can further advance all aspects of substantive bilateral cooperation in a sustainable manner. This will enable us to improve the welfare of both our peoples and contribute to regional peace and prosperity.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a toast: to the continued prosperity of Vietnam, our enduring friendship, and the good health and success of everyone here today. Thank you.