Taiwan is to set up an economic and cultural office in Montreal, Canada, in view of growing bilateral exchanges between the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.
“Taiwan and Canada enjoy increasingly close exchanges across a wide range of domains, including economics and trade, science and technology, supply chains, culture and education, and indigenous affairs. After extensive research, the government of Taiwan has decided to establish the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec. Preparations are currently under way,” ministry spokeswoman Joanna Ou (歐江安) told a news conference in Taipei.
Nearly one-quarter of the Canadian population lives in Quebec, which is also home to a majority of the French-speaking population in the North American country, Ou said.
Photo: Reuters
“As the largest city in Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and a key Francophone city in North America, Montreal is widely known as a Canadian hub for technology industry clusters, which points to significant room for cooperation in areas such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence,” Ou said.
Montreal also hosts missions from the US, Japan, the UK, France and other countries as the International Civil Aviation Organization’s headquarters is in the city, she added.
Canada recently announced a comprehensive strategic report resolving to deepen diversified relationships with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, in which it particularly aims to enhance economic and people-to-people ties with Taiwan, and further develop bilateral partnerships in science, technology and innovation, Ou said.
“Taiwan’s establishment of a new office in Montreal will lend impetus to further cooperation and exchanges between the two countries,” she said.
The Montreal office is to be the nation’s fourth in Canada, joining those in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
In other news, Ou said that the government is conducting a “comprehensive assessment” on the Guatemalan government’s invitation to have President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei jointly host a summit of Taiwan’s allies in March.
“We will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the invitation and keep in close contact with the Guatemalan government on this matter. Further details on this arrangement will be disclosed to the public at a proper time,” Ou said.
New Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Oscar Adolfo Padilla Lam conveyed the message in a meeting at the Presidential Office on Monday, when he presented his letter of credence to Tsai.
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