President Tsai receives Australian parliamentary delegatio

2024/04/10

President Tsai Ing-wen received a cross-party delegation from the Australian Parliament at the Presidential Office April 8 in Taipei City, reaffirming commitment to the advancement of bilateral ties for regional prosperity and development.
 
Taiwan and Australia are both staunch defenders of freedom and democracy and enjoy growing exchanges and cooperation, Tsai said, citing last month’s international workshop on combating transnational fraud staged by the two countries, alongside the U.S., U.K. and Japan, under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework in Taipei.
 
Tsai also expressed sincere gratitude to the New Southbound Policy partner country for continually reaffirming the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait at bilateral and multilateral forums.
 
Faced with expanding authoritarianism, democracies must stand together and bolster cooperation, the president said. She hopes to see Australia support negotiations for a bilateral economic cooperation agreement and stand behind Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
 
In response, Shayne Neumann, chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade, said Australia and Taiwan are stronger together, adding that his country is working with allies and friends to preserve the regional balance and status quo. He offered condolences on behalf of the Australian Parliament and people for the damage, injuries and tragic loss of life caused by last week’s earthquake.
 
Andrew Wallace, deputy chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, said Australia and Taiwan both recognized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The two sides stand united against any threats to regional stability, he added.
 
Arriving April 8 for a five-day visit, the group also comprises MPs Julian Hill and Angie Bell, as well as Senator Dave Sharma, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Source: Noticias de Taiwan (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)