Li-kuo Chen
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
December 4, 2023
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good evening! Sawadee khap (你好)!
It is a great pleasure to join you all in celebration of the National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand.
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn (瑪哈‧瓦吉拉隆功), as well as to the government and people of Thailand, on this glorious occasion.
Thailand is one of the most popular tourism destinations for the people of Taiwan.
We welcome the decision by the government of Thailand to waive visa requirements for Taiwanese travelers from November 2023 to May 2024.
This will do much to enhance bilateral tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
It is our earnest hope that the Thai government will consider making this visa-waiver arrangement permanent going forward.
Taiwan has maintained strong business and trade ties with Thailand for decades.
In 2022, bilateral trade reached 13.83 billion US dollars—an increase of 6.5 percent over the previous year. Taiwan was also the fourth-largest investor in Thailand in 2022.
In looking forward to building on these solid economic relations, Taiwan has made it a priority to renew the bilateral investment agreement our countries signed in 1996.
It has been encouraging to see that the relevant consultations have already started. We hope to arrive at a consensus soon.
The signing of an updated agreement would facilitate the development of more competitive business environments in our two countries in the postpandemic era.
Last year, Thailand served as APEC host economy with great success.
And this year, the Thai people demonstrated their strong support for democracy through May’s general election.
The passionate debates, the overwhelming turnout, and the extensive and diverse media coverage in the run-up to the vote bore testament to Thailand’s vibrant democratic society and demonstrated the will of the Thai people.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and to Thailand for its peaceful and democratic transition of government.
Taiwan and Thailand are key democracies in the Indo-Pacific region and both face similar challenges with respect to climate change, food security, and supply chain resilience.
I am confident that our two nations, as friends and regional partners, will further deepen mutual prosperity and forge stronger people-to-people ties.
This is the second time that Acting Director Sunh has hosted National Day celebrations in Taiwan.
I would like to take this opportunity to convey my sincere gratitude to Acting Director Sunh and his capable team for their many successful efforts in strengthening Taiwan-Thailand relations.
In closing, I wish the Kingdom of Thailand continued prosperity and our two nations enduring friendship.
I hope that our distinguished guests have a wonderful evening and I wish you all the very best of health and success. Thank you!