Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Wednesday made a rare visit to Italy to inaugurate the nation’s renovated representative office in Rome and meet with Italian parliamentarians as part of his ongoing European trip.
Taiwan and Italy share the values of freedom, democracy and human rights, and enjoy close exchanges in many fields, Lin said at the ceremony, adding that the upgraded office symbolizes a new chapter in bilateral relations.
Lin described the two countries as complementary and trusted economic partners, citing Italy’s strengths in innovation, design and industry, and Taiwan’s expertise in technology, green energy and manufacturing.
Photo: CNA
Cooperation benefits both sides and the global supply chain, he said.
Lin said that his European visit aims to promote the government’s “Taiwan Culture in Europe 2025” campaign, which includes exhibitions of artifacts and performing arts groups.
Guests at the ceremony included Italian Senator Lucio Malan, president of the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Italian Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio and Italian Deputy Paolo Formentini, vice president of the Chamber of Deputies’ Foreign Affairs Committee.
Centinaio welcomed Lin to Italy and said that Taiwan’s decision to open a second representative office in Milan in 2023 and renovate its office in Rome reflected warming bilateral ties.
He also praised Taiwan as a democratic model and said he had promised President William Lai (賴清德) that Italy would always stand by Taiwan.
Lin’s visit to Europe was not made public beforehand due to its sensitivity.
His first stop in Europe was the Czech Republic, where he attended the opening of the “100 Treasures, 100 Stories: Treasures from the National Palace Museum” exhibition.
Taiwanese foreign ministers rarely make public visits to countries that do not have official diplomatic ties with the nation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not disclose details of Lin’s itinerary, saying only that he was in Europe for the cultural tour and that more information would be released later.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS