President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday urged Canberra to start negotiations on an economic cooperation agreement with Taipei, saying that it would be mutually advantageous.
With the COVID-19 pandemic restructuring supply chains, it is an ideal moment for the nations to re-examine their trade and economic cooperation policies, Tsai said in a virtual address to the forum hosted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think tank.
Trade between the nations has been mutually beneficial, as Australia is a major source of Taiwan’s meat and dairy products and health supplements, and Taiwan is a major supplier to Australia of telecommunication components, refined petroleum, computers, motorcycles and bicycles, she said.
Photo: CNA
Australia has become the nation’s second-largest supplier of natural gas, and Australian companies play a key role in the establishment of Taiwan’s offshore wind farms, she added.
Given these strong economic ties, Tsai said she hopes that they would in the “very near future” begin negotiations on a Taiwan-Australia economic cooperation agreement, to uncover more opportunities that benefit the nations.
One of these opportunities is the nation’s inclusion in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would benefit Australia, a member state of the agreement, she said.
Tsai also called for more efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges.
More than 10,000 Taiwanese each year visit Australia as part of a working holiday program, and there are about 18,000 Taiwanese students studying in Australia.
She invited Australians to visit Taiwan to taste its delicious cuisine and see its beautiful scenery.
Tsai also addressed cybersecurity issues, saying that private and public institutions in Taiwan and Australia in the past few years have been the targets of large-scale, systematic cyberattacks.
Over the past few years, the Taiwanese government has been dedicated to developing its information and communication security industry, she said, adding that Taiwan hopes to use its experience, expertise and technology to assist countries in the Indo-Pacific region, especially Pacific island nations.
The nations have a common goal to uphold information and communication security in the Pacific, with Australia leading efforts with its Cyber Bootcamp Project and Pacific Cyber Security Operational Network, she said.
Taiwan is setting up Taiwan Digital Opportunity Centers for diplomatic allies in the Pacific, helping them train experts and improve their digital environment, she said.
Both nations, like the rest of the world, are facing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as democratic allies, they have found ways to assist each other in these trying circumstances, Tsai said.
In March, as Taiwan grappled with a shortage of materials for epidemic prevention, Australia graciously offered 1 million liters of alcohol to make more than 4 million bottles of 75 percent alcohol sanitizer, she said.
In exchange, Taiwan provided 3 tonnes of non-woven fabric, the key raw material for mask production, she said.
Thanks to this kind of mutual assistance, Taiwan and Australia were able to weather the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, she added.
Meanwhile, medical research teams from Chang Gung University and Melbourne’s Monash University have been working to develop a treatment for COVID-19, and have achieved positive results, Tsai said.
It is through this kind of cooperation, transparency and information sharing that the nations can overcome the pandemic, she said.
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