A Swiss parliamentary delegation is to arrive in Taiwan on Sunday for a six-day visit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said yesterday.
Swiss-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group copresidents Fabian Molina of the Social Democratic Party (SP) and Nicolas Walder of the Green Party are to lead a five-member delegation.
Other members of the delegation include national councilors Yves Nidegger of the Swiss People’s Party, Mustafa Atici of the SP and Leonore Porchet of the Green Party.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
The ministry is looking forward to welcoming the cross-party delegation, the first by the group since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liu told a news conference.
The delegation is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?), Control Yuan President Chen Chu (陳菊) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), he said.
The Legislative Yuan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would hold banquets to welcome the delegation, he said.
The group would also visit the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Development Council, the Mainland Affairs Council, and the National Science and Technology Council, as well as the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) and sites of historical battles in Kinmen County, he said.
Molina and Walder have proposed several pro-Taiwan motions and policy suggestions at the Swiss parliament, Liu said.
Switzerland’s lower house National Council in 2021 passed with an overwhelming majority a motion to deepen its relationship with Taiwan, he said, adding that the motion was proposed by Walder.
The motion orders the council to submit a report on how Switzerland can improve ties with Taiwan in the areas of business, politics, science and culture, which the foreign ministry welcomes wholeheartedly, Liu added.
Taiwan and Switzerland are partners that share the values of democracy, freedom and human rights, he said, adding that the trip would allow the delegation to deepen its understanding of Taiwan and facilitate cooperation between the two countries.
Beijing voiced strong opposition to the visit when it was first reported last year, with Chinese Consul-General in Zurich Zhao Qinghua (趙清華) saying that such a trip would “cause chaos.”
In response, Walder said that visiting Taiwan would not undermine Switzerland’s neutrality, adding that China should not confuse visits by lawmakers and the actions taken by the Swiss Federal Council.
The trip would “symbolize our friendship and support for our Taiwanese counterparts,” he wrote on Twitter last month.
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