Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung wrapped up his successful tour of Belgium, Lithuania and Poland Nov. 25, further strengthening the robust relationship between Taiwan and Europe.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin departed Nov. 16 and made his first stop in Belgium, where he called at the EP and met with parliamentarians including Michael Gahler, chair of the EP-Taiwan Friendship Group. He also visited the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre and was received by IMEC President and CEO Luc Van den hove.
The minister went on to lead delegates of Taiwan’s drone industry alliance to attend the Drone Industry Business Forum held Nov. 21 in Vilnius, Lithuania. At the event bringing together representatives from around 60 unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers based in Taiwan and Europe, Lin witnessed the inking of a cooperative memorandum of understanding by the Taiwan alliance and the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association.
During the signing ceremony, both Lin and Lithuanian Vice Minister of National Defence Monika Koroliovienė emphasized the two sides’ shared democratic values and the importance of the UAV industry in the face of authoritarian expansion, the MOFA said, adding that they expressed willingness to strengthen future bilateral cooperation based on the current solid foundation.
Lin additionally participated in the Polish-Taiwan Economic Cooperation Forum Nov. 22 in Warsaw and witnessed the signing of an MOU between the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Poland and its counterpart Nov. 23 in Łódź.
On the same day, Lin presided over a ceremony presenting Taiwan’s donation of power generation equipment, which will be distributed to 580 cities across Ukraine, and 2,600 laptops to the Association of Ukrainian Cities. The minister also witnessed the inking of a letter of intent for cooperation between Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom Co. and the Ukrainian city of Bucha, under which Chunghwa will help the city become Ukraine’s first 5G smart city.
According to the MOFA, the ministry will continue to promote integrated diplomacy while working with like-minded partners in Europe and around the world to strengthen democratic resilience. The government is committed to deepening economic and trade ties with the EU to advance joint prosperity, the ministry added. (YCH-E)
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