A Taiwanese business delegation has signed two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Estonia to facilitate collaboration between the aerospace and defense industries on the two sides, the Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia said.
The office in a statement issued on Wednesday said that the Taiwanese delegation signed the MOUs on Monday with the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association and the Estonia Aviation Cluster in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital.
The MOUs open a new chapter of collaboration between the two nations on drones, aerospace and related industries, the statement said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia via CNA
The leader of the Taiwanese delegation, Hu Kai-hung (胡開宏), who heads the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance, said at the signing ceremony that the idea for the bilateral collaboration arose from a discussion he had in November last year with a representative from the Estonian Ministry of Defense, it said.
Hu last year led a delegation on a visit to Latvia to explore business opportunities between Taiwan, Latvia and Estonia, the statement said.
Estonian lawmaker Kristo Enn Vaga, chair of the Estonia-Taiwan Support Group in the Estonian parliament, in February led a delegation to Taiwan in a follow-up to the meeting, with the aim of deepening the partnership between Taiwan and Estonia, he was cited as saying in the statement.
Representative to Estonia Andrew H.C. Lee (李憲章) said that the signing of the MOUs was an important step for collaboration between the two nations.
Taiwan and Estonia are like-minded nations with well-regulated economies that have access to major markets in the Indo-Pacific region and the EU, Lee said.
There is great potential for collaboration between the two sides, given their highly complementary economic and industrial structures, he said.
Amid Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine and China’s growing military threats against Taiwan, the MOUs also have the potential to help build new industrial chains that promote regional stability and global safety, he added.
Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association chief executive Kalev Koidumae said at the signing ceremony that he was part of the Estonian delegation that visited Taiwan in February and that he was anticipating an acceleration of collaboration plans between the two sides.
Estonia Aviation Cluster director Andy Viikmaa said that Taiwan and Estonia share a similar history and the same ideals.
Expanding collaboration between the two sides is key to building a “non-red supply chain” based on democracy, he said, adding that they are both vibrant and innovative economies.
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