Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Thursday met a cross-party delegation of the Taiwan-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group led by its cochair, Italian Deputy Member Alessandro Cattaneo.
The delegation’s seven lawmakers are visiting Taiwan for the first time, and their meeting marked the third interaction Lin had with Italian leaders, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
In September last year, Lin received a delegation led by the group’s cochair, Italian Senator Adriano Paroli. One month later, he attended a function at Taiwan’s representative office in Rome, where he met Italian Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio, among 16 lawmakers.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Italy is an ancient bastion of culture and a destination for many Taiwanese young people studying design, fashion and art, Lin was cited as saying at Thursday’s meeting.
Bilateral economic exchanges have blossomed, with semiconductor giant GlobalWafers opening a 12-inch wafer fab in Italy’s Novara last year, which serves to provide Europe with a resident supply chain for chips, he said.
Cattaneo affirmed the importance of Taiwan’s investment in the Italian semiconductor sector and emphasized that Italian lawmakers from across the political divide are joined in their appreciation of Taiwan’s democracy, and the importance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Separately on Thursday, Lin also met Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平).
Lin was cited as telling Seki that Taiwanese diplomatic strategy under President William Lai (賴清德) emphasizes developing ties with the world based on shared values, common economic interests and cooperation in technology.
By comparison, China routinely weaponizes trade and tourism as coercive instruments in its handling of foreign affairs, he said.
Photo: screen grab from the American Institute in Taiwan Facebook page
Taiwan has achieved a high level of resilience and adaptiveness through years of experience in dealing with hybrid threats originating from China, Lin said, adding that the nation is willing to share its knowledge with democratic partners.
Lin also thanked Seki for the Japanese government’s public stance in support of Taiwan and reiterating the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait amid China’s menacing military exercises.
Taiwan and Japan are partners united by trust, and together compose an important force for regional peace and stability, he said.
The two nations have an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, green energy and security, Lin said.
Taiwan, Japan and the US should work together to strengthen collaboration in values, security and forging secure supply chains to support democracy worldwide, he added.
Seki said that Taiwan would never be alone, as it is a mature democracy that has achieved acknowledgment and recognition in the family of democratic nations.
In related news, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in a post on its Facebook page on Thursday said that Lin on Wednesday met with AIT Director Raymond Greene and discussed strengthening the Taiwan-US partnership, including new diplomatic and economic initiatives.
Lin followed up with a post on his Facebook page expressing thanks to Greene for the invitation, describing it as a “meaningful lunchtime gathering.”
Lin said that Taiwan is willing to continue contributing to regional peace and stability, and together with global democratic partners such as the US, safeguard peace and create shared prosperity.
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