The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed the UK in joining Taiwan, the US, Japan, Australia and Canada as the newest full partner of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF).
The ministry’s statement was released after British Representative to Taiwan Ruth Bradley-Jones earlier yesterday announced the UK’s decision to join the GCTF.
The framework was launched in 2015 by Taiwan and the US as a platform to enable Taiwan to share its expertise on global issues and contribute alongside global partners, as Taipei has been sidelined at major international organizations due to pressure from Beijing.
Photo: CNA
The representative of the British Office Taipei, the UK’s de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official ties, announced the decision during a GCTF workshop on enhancing energy resilience.
“After participating in many workshops over recent years, the British Office Taipei is pleased to take the natural next step and join the Global Training and Cooperation Framework as a full partner,” she said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) welcomed the UK into the framework 10 years after it was launched.
The UK becoming a full partner in the GCTF symbolizes the continuing deepening of ties between Taiwan and the UK, and the UK’s recognition of Taiwan’s contributions to global issues, Lin said in the statement.
Japan, Australia and Canada joined the GCTF as full partners in 2019, 2021 and last year respectively.
Since its launch, the framework has held 90 international workshops on topics such as public health, law enforcement cooperation, women’s empowerment, energy efficiency, e-commerce, cybersecurity, high availability disaster recovery and media literacy.
More than 10,000 government officials, experts and civil society representatives from 133 countries have participated in the events, which have been held locally and in 17 countries worldwide, the ministry said.
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