A delegation from the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group arrived in Taipei on Monday to attend Double Ten National Day celebrations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The five lawmakers led by group cochair Canadian Senator Michael MacDonald also includes senators Leonidas Housakos, Pierre Dalphond, David Richards and Marilou McPhedran, the ministry said in a news release.
After attending National Day events, they are to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) before departing on Saturday, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada via CNA
They also plan to meet with senior officials and civil representatives to exchange views on bilateral relations and security issues, it added.
The visiting lawmakers sit on a number of committees in the Canadian Senate, including those relating to foreign affairs and international trade, transportation and communications, judicial affairs, national defense, technology, and fishing and oceanic affairs, the ministry said.
“As China continues to unilaterally escalate regional tensions, this visit by a delegation from the Canadian parliament to celebrate our National Day fully demonstrates their firm support for Taiwan,” it said.
On Sept. 26, MacDonald introduced a draft Canada-Taiwan Relations Framework Act to mirror another bill introduced in the House of Commons in June by Canadian Member of Parliament Michael Cooper.
The act aims to provide a framework to strengthen bilateral relations in economic, cultural and legal affairs, and would direct the Canadian government to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
In a news release after its introduction, MacDonald said that Taiwan is one of the world’s largest economies, a fast-growing trade partner and a strong ally in the Indo-Pacific region.
“It’s evident that our existing framework does not reflect and accommodate for the current realities of our growing partnership with Taiwan,” he said. “We are overdue for a framework that not only strengthens our ties, but also clearly voices our support for Taiwan’s participation internationally.”
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