Overseas offices celebrate Double Ten

NATIONAL DAY: Hundreds of guests from lawmakers to business representatives attended the receptions and talked of boosting trade and industry cooperation

• By Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNA

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Taiwan’s overseas representative offices marked Double Ten National Day with receptions in India, Turkey, the Netherlands, the Philippines and the US, underscoring efforts to bolster diplomatic ties, expand trade and deepen cooperation in technology and other key industries.

Taiwan’s representative office in India on Thursday held a National Day reception in New Delhi, with several hundred people attending, including officials from India, diplomats and Taiwanese businesspeople, the office said.

At the event, Representative to India Chen Mu-min (陳牧民) announced that the Taiwan-India Parliamentary Friendship Association would resume operations.

Representative to the Philippines Wallace Chow, center, and guests cut a cake during a Double Ten National Day reception in Manila on Thursday.

Photo: CNA

So far, 23 Indian lawmakers have agreed to join the group, which would become an important new force in promoting cooperation between Taiwan and India, Chen said.

Trade relations between Taiwan and India are continuing to grow rapidly, with bilateral trade reaching a record US$12.5 billion last year, he said.

Trade in the first eight months of this year reached US$12.9 billion, a 60 percent increase from the same period last year, he added.

Taiwan’s representative office in Turkey held a National Day reception on Wednesday, with more than 300 guests attending, including Turkish lawmakers from across party lines, senior government officials and diplomats, the office said.

Taiwan hopes to deepen cooperation with Turkey’s public and private sectors by promoting joint ventures, jointly developing artificial intelligence (AI) applications and cultivating high-tech talent, Representative to Turkey Huang Chih-yang (黃志揚) said.

By combining Taiwan’s technological and industrial strengths with Turkey’s strategic location and market advantages, the two sides could build a bridge linking East Asia and the Mediterranean, Huang said.

Taiwan’s representative office in the Netherlands on Wednesday hosted a reception attended by more than 250 Dutch political and business figures and members of the Taiwanese community, the office said.

Representative to the Netherlands Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) thanked the Dutch government and parliament for their firm support of Taiwan, including publicly backing Taiwan’s participation in the WHO at the World Health Assembly in May and sending the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate De Ruyter through the Taiwan Strait in June.

Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are in the global interest and particularly important to trading nations such as Taiwan and the Netherlands, Tien said.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Atlanta, Georgia, held a National Day celebration on Wednesday, with nearly 300 people from the political, academic and business sectors attending, the office said in a statement on Thursday.

The office will continue working with local state governments, chambers of commerce, schools and businesses to bolster cooperation in AI, healthcare, aerospace and disaster resilience, TECO Atlanta Director Lin Chu-en (林主恩) said.

Taiwan-US ties have continued to deepen over the past year, with Taiwan’s economy continuing to grow on demand from high-tech industries, Lin said, adding that the US has become one of Taiwan’s most important trading partners.

Cooperation between Taiwan and six US states — Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina — has become increasingly practical, covering high-tech talent development, scholarships, Chinese-language education, cultural exchanges, research collaboration and industrial investment, Lin said.

TECO Houston also hosted a National Day reception on Wednesday, drawing more than 300 guests from the political, business, academic and Taiwanese expatriate communities in the southern US, the office said in a statement.

Taiwan and the US are working together to build a “joint fleet” by further reinforcing bilateral trade, investment and supply chain integration, TECO Houston Director Yvonne Hsiao (蕭伊芳) said.

By combining Taiwan’s manufacturing strengths with US innovation and talent, the two sides aim to build secure and resilient supply chains for semiconductors, AI and drones, Hsiao said.

Taiwan-US technology cooperation is about helping both sides succeed and promoting the global economy, she added.