Jaushieh Joseph Wu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
October 8, 2021
(As Delivered)
Good evening!
It is a great honor to host tonight's dinner. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I would like to thank you all for your enthusiastic participation in the forum, which would not have been successful without your dedication. I would also like to congratulate the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation for hosting the event again. The forum has established a reputation as a platform for prominent leaders and experts from around the world to exchange ideas and to share their wisdom.
Tonight, we are delighted and honored to have the honorable Tony Abbott join us as the guest speaker. I trust his speech will conclude this year's forum on a high note.
Mr. Abbott is a firm believer in our shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and has a clear understanding of the need to counter the coercive influence of authoritarian states. I am sure we are all touched by his powerful speech this morning. In fact, after Mr. Abbott was sworn in as Australia's 28th Prime Minister in 2013, he embarked on a series of actions that have left a deep impact on Australia and the region.
He finalized free trade agreements with Japan, Korea, and China; hosted the G20 Summit; and promoted an agenda of job creation and economic growth. He also launched the New Colombo Plan to increase Australia's links with the Indo-Pacific region. Most importantly, the Abbott administration invited me to the great Aussie land as a special visitor, which transformed me into a true believer in Taiwan-Australia relations, and a permanent friend of the great democracy down under. The only regret is that I didn't get to stay long enough to pick up the Aussie accent.
Meanwhile, we very much appreciate Mr. Abbott's support for Taiwan's bid to join the CPTPP, as well as for the signing of an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and Australia.
We have much to learn from Mr. Abbott, and to look forward to working even more closely with him on our shared vision of a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. So without any further ado, let us welcome Mr. Abbott to the podium!