President Tsai Ing-wen received a delegation from the Australian Parliament at the Presidential Office Sept. 26 in Taipei City, pledging to continue bolstering bilateral cooperation to spur economic growth and sustainable development throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Led by Members of Parliament Josh Wilson and Paul Fletcher, the group also includes MP Graham Perrett, co-chair of the Australia-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group since 2020. The visit demonstrates cross-party support for Taiwan and will further expand the two-way ties, Tsai said.
According to the president, the joint efforts of both sides have elevated Taiwan to the position of Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner and fourth-largest export market. It is hoped that the Australian government and parliament will support Taiwan’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership to promote greater regional growth, she said.
Australia plays an important role in upholding peace and stability in the area through participating in the trilateral security partnership with the U.K. and the U.S., as well as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Tsai said. Its support for Taiwan’s global participation is also sincerely appreciated by the government and people, the president added.
In response, Wilson said the people of Australia and Taiwan have a shared interest in maintaining peace, prosperity, stability and environmental sustainability in their part of the world, adding that Australia is committed to working with all its regional partners, including Taiwan, to ensure an open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific. (SFC-E)
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