President William Lai (賴清德) today received a visiting delegation from New Zealand’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan, the Presidential Office said today in a news release.
The delegation is jointly led by New Zealand member of parliament (MP) Stuart Smith — the senior whip of the National Party — and Labour Party MP Tangi Utikere, it said.
Lai expressed hope that the two nations would promote exchanges and deepen cooperation in sectors from smart agriculture and food production to biotech and pharmaceuticals, the statement said.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office via CNA
He also hoped to expand collaboration in digital economy and clean energy projects and promote exchanges between the two countries’ Indigenous peoples, it added.
Lai said he hoped the democratic allies would come together to face the challenges of rapidly shifting global dynamics and the growing threat of authoritarianism.
He also said that democratic countries must unite to ensure peace in the Indo-Pacific region and promote stable economic growth.
Lai thanked New Zealand on behalf of Taiwanese for its repeated assurances over the past year of the importance of regional peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan, formed in 2023, marked an important milestone in Taiwan-New Zealand relations, Lai said.
He expressed his gratitude to Smith and Utikere, who are both members of the group, for their commitment to developing bilateral exchanges.
The Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation (ANZTEC) was put into full effect this year, Lai said.
Both New Zealand and Taiwan are island countries surrounded by the ocean, Utikere said, adding that it is therefore important for them to build steadfast partnerships with like-minded allies around the world.
The two countries are trading countries that rely on imports and exports, necessitating freedom of ship navigation between the two, Smith said.
New Zealand dispatched navy vessels through the Taiwan Strait last year to reiterate the importance of Taiwan’s security, he added.
Smith also said that New Zealand could collaborate further with Taiwan on geothermal energy.
New Zealand is also the world’s third-largest location for launching satellite rockets and could further aid Taiwan in communications, he said.
He hoped for long and prosperous relations between the two countries in the future.
Following local traditions, the delegation performed a song after the meeting as a gesture of goodwill, singing the traditional Indigenous Maori-language song “TUTIRA MAI NGA IWI,” the release said.
Academics believe that the Maori language may have originated in Taiwan, the delegation said.
The song conveyed a message that everyone and every country should pursue knowledge and love together and expressed hope for lasting peace acquired through unity and concerted efforts, the delegation said.
Additional reporting by Fion Khan
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