Taiwan looks forward to expanding exchanges with Spain across a broad spectrum of areas as part of government efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties, according to Vice President Chen Chien-jen Nov. 21.
The two sides enjoy close parliamentary relations as evidenced by visits to Spain’s parliament by Legislative Yuan delegations over the past two years, as well as the trip to Taiwan last year by a group of lawmakers led by Ruben Moreno Palanques of the People’s Party, Chen said. Such engagement is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, he added.
Chen made the remarks while meeting with a delegation of lawmakers from Spain at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The four-member group, led by Carlos Rojas Garcia, is in the country Nov. 18-22 on a cultural, economic and social fact-finding visit.
According to Chen, one area in which Taiwan and Spain can assist one another is in judicial cooperation. The signing of a mutual legal assistance pact would allow both countries to work more closely in combating cross-border crime, he said.
Trade and investment is another area in which Taiwan and Spain can take two-way ties to new heights, Chen said. The support of several Spanish parliamentarians was instrumental in the successful business promotion tour by staffers from the country’s representative office to 15 cities in the EU member state over the past year, he added.
Chen also took the opportunity to thank the delegation for Spain’s staunch support of government efforts to secure the participation of Taiwan in international bodies such as International Civil Aviation Organization, INTERPOL, U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and World Health Organization. (SFC-E)
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