Regional peace and stability is an objective shared by the international community, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen You-chung (沈有忠) said yesterday as he met with a delegation of Italian lawmakers.
The cross-party delegation from the Italian Chamber of Deputies was led by Italian Finance Committee Chair Marco Osnato.
Stability in the Indo-Pacific region and how to strengthen democratic supply chains were discussed during the meeting, the MAC said in a press release today.
Photo courtesy of Mainland Affairs Council
Both nations share the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights, and the visit shows the importance of support between democratic partners, Shen said.
Taiwan, Italy and the international community all hope for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he said.
Shen thanked the Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee for passing a resolution supporting Taiwan last September.
The resolution calls on the government to actively support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WTO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
This resolution is very meaningful to Taiwan, helping break its diplomatic isolation, and hopefully Taiwan and Italy can cooperate more in the future, Shen said.
The government would continue to support the “four commitments,” implement the “four pillars of peace” action plan and strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries, Shen said.
The government would also urge China to face the objective existence of the Republic of China and Taiwan’s free and democratic society, Shen added.
The cross-party delegation’s visit shows Italy’s support for Taiwan across party lines and reflects Taiwan’s importance to security in the Indo-Pacific region, Ostano said.
Hopefully the two nations would continue to strengthen parliamentary, trade and cultural exchanges, he said.
The cross-party delegation led by Ostano includes Deputy President of the Trade and Tourism Committee Paola De Micheli, Finance Committee Secretary Mauro Del Barba, Vice President of the Committee on General Policy-setting and Oversight of Radio and Television Services Augusta Montaruli and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, deputies Salvatore Caiata and Giangiacomo Calovini.
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