Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Good evening!

Thank you all for finding time in your busy schedules to attend the Solidarity Night and Cultural Performances for the Seminar on Youth Leadership in the Post-Covid-19 Era. And thank you to our young friends for participating in such a vibrant and innovative seminar, which centered around the fact that Taiwan is helping. You shared your COVID-19 experiences and thoughts regarding technology and innovation, public health and medical assistance, and arts and culture.

This seminar marked the first dialogue platform to be organized under the International Youth Ambassadors Exchange Program. It brought together and facilitated exchanges between Taiwanese students who have previously served as youth ambassadors and overseas students from countries in South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. From your happy and cheerful expressions, I'm sure you had a productive afternoon— fostering connections, finding inspiration, and expanding your horizons.

Today's panelists were Taiwanese youths known for excellence in their respective fields. They included resident physicians at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital and Taipei Medical University Hospital, a lecturer at a national university, an employee of the US electric car company Tesla, a volunteer who works with international refugees, and outstanding artists from renowned performing groups. They represent a microcosm of Taiwan's young generation. Diverse, vibrant, compassionate, and embracing an international outlook, they stand out as representatives of Taiwan's many forms of soft power. I hope our young friends here will continue to pursue their professional careers with the same positive and enterprising spirit, and also speak up for Taiwan when the occasion calls for it.

Tonight, we're letting young participants from Taiwan and overseas light up this Solidarity Night, sharing their cultures through artistic performances. When they embarked on their overseas journeys, some of our youth ambassadors were greenhorn university students. Today they are skilled and independent professionals. They'll present cultural performances that blend traditional and modern aspects of Taiwanese society. Ms. Carren-Tai Waqa, friend from Nauru, and NTU Happy Feet Dance Group will also bring us traditional dances from the South Pacific and India. We look forward to an evening of brilliant performances.

In closing, let us hope this global pandemic is soon over so that we can all return to our normal lives once more. Thank you!