The Australian Office in Taipei on Tuesday marked the 40th anniversary of its establishment at a ceremony attended by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who pledged to deepen trade and security ties with Canberra.
Under the leadership of Australian Representative to Taiwan Jenny Bloomfield, who took office in February, bilateral relations are expected to become even closer, Tsai said according to a transcript of her speech released by the Presidential Office.
Over the past five years, trade and investment between Taiwan and Australia have grown 10 to 13 percent annually, showing that bilateral relations are strong and mutually beneficial, she said.
Photo courtesy of Australian Office in Taipei via CNA
“I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone across Australia who has come out in support of Taiwan’s inclusion in the CPTPP,” Tsai said, referring to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
“By joining this trade bloc and negotiating a bilateral economic cooperation agreement, we can take significant steps forward in our trade relationship,” she added.
Australia is a key partner for Taiwan’s energy transition, with the goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Tsai said, adding that the two countries would work together toward the Asia-Pacific region’s sustainable development.
“Taiwan and Australia are both committed to upholding security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” Tsai added.
The Australian government this year repeatedly spoke up in support of Taiwan’s international participation, and emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, she said.
“Taiwan remains committed to working with our Australian colleagues to safeguard our region and uphold our shared values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” Tsai said.
The Australian office hailed next year as “Australia-Taiwan Friendship Year,” which is to include an arts exchange partnership to support cultural and arts exchanges between young people, with particular focus on members of Aboriginal communities.
The office also launched the “40 Years, 40 Stories” project to showcase personal stories told from Taiwanese and Australian perspectives to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship.
“Australia is proud to be Taiwan’s second-most popular education destination, and we are working together to promote Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 goal,” the office said.
Australia is Taiwan’s largest energy provider, and the nations are natural partners in the transition to net-zero carbon emissions through technologies such as hydrogen, the office said, highlighting the importance of strong and reliable supply chains.
The ties also continue to deepen through thriving trade in premium food and agricultural products, development cooperation, and cooperation in international fora, such as APEC, the WTO and the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, which was created by Taiwan and the US, it said.
The ceremony was also attended by Presidential Office Secretary-General David Lee (李大維), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General Lily Hsu (徐儷文), Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智), Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) and Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), National Culture and Arts Foundation chairwoman Lin Mun-lee (林曼麗) and foreign representatives of other nations, the Presidential Office said.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
RSS