Canadian trade office head awarded MOFA’s Friendship Medal of Diplomacy

2018/07/03

The Friendship Medal of Diplomacy was conferred June 29 on Mario Ste-Marie, executive director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, by Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu in recognition of his extensive contributions to strengthening Taiwan-Canada relations.
 
 Ste-Marie is an outstanding diplomat with exemplary experience in the areas of agriculture, culture, economy, health care and trade, Wu said during the presentation ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei City. Over the course of his three-year tenure as Canada’s top representative in Taiwan, Ste-Marie has helped take bilateral ties to new heights, the minister added.
 
 According to Wu, notable advances achieved during Ste-Marie’s leadership of the CTOT include the double taxation avoidance agreement taking effect in January 2017 and the expansion of the annual economic consultation meeting between the two sides. The resumption of direct flights between Taipei and Vancouver by Montreal-based Air Canada last year is similarly helping enhance business and people-to-people exchanges, he said.
 
 Other initiatives Ste-Marie promoted include reciprocal driver’s license agreements. Taiwan has concluded such accords with all 10 Canadian provinces following the signing April 17 of a pact with Newfoundland and Labrador.
 
 Ste-Marie has consistently demonstrated his strong and enduring friendship for Taiwan, Wu said, noting his donation to disaster relief efforts following the magnitude 6 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County in Feb. 6. He also encouraged foreign diplomats to visit Hualien after the temblor in an effort to help raise awareness of the county’s abundant attractions and rekindle the local tourism sector, the minister added.
 
 Noting that the Ste-Marie’s tenure as head of the CTOT will come to an end in July, Wu expressed gratitude for his contributions to Taiwan-Canada ties and conveyed hope that he will continue to support the development of bilateral cooperation going forward.
 
 In a tweet on his Twitter account the following day, Ste-Marie said the medal is a reflection of the strong friendship between Taiwan and Canada. He also thanked his colleagues at the CTOT for their hard work.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=137140)