Johnny Chiang Meets Canadian Delegation, Hopes for Continued Cooperation on International Issues

The Legislative Yuan today issued a press release stating that Johnny Chiang, accompanied by KMT Legislator Chen Ching-hui, DPP Legislator Lin Chu-yin, and TPP Legislator Liu Shu-pin, met with a nine-member Canadian federal parliamentary delegation led by Senator Leo Housakos on the 7th. Chiang stated that receiving an important Canadian parliamentary delegation during the Legislative Yuan session was particularly meaningful. Apart from the head of the delegation, all other members were visiting Taiwan for the first time and also making their first visit to the Legislative Yuan. He hoped that this exchange would further deepen understanding and cooperation between the Taiwanese and Canadian parliaments and peoples. Chiang said that the Canadian Parliament has long supported Taiwan in a cross-party manner, including supporting Taiwan's participation in international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and INTERPOL. Taiwan deeply appreciates the Canadian Parliament's demonstration of friendship and support at critical moments and looks forward to continued cooperation on more international issues in the future. He said that in the face of the current complex and ever-changing international situation, cooperation and mutual trust among democratic countries are particularly important. Taiwan and Canada are important partners who share core values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Chiang also mentioned that despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Canada, both sides have always maintained close exchanges in economic and trade, education, culture, and technology, and the interaction between their peoples is the most stable foundation of bilateral relations. Many Taiwanese youths study, work, and live in Canada, forming deep civilian ties, which also lays a good foundation for cooperation at the government and parliamentary levels. Discussing the prospects for bilateral cooperation, Chiang pointed out that in recent years, Taiwan and Canada have made concrete progress in investment and economic and trade cooperation, such as the signing of the 'Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement' (FIPA), which provides more stable institutional guarantees for corporate investment. In the future, both sides still have broad room for cooperation in areas such as technological innovation, educational exchanges, industrial cooperation, and supply chain resilience. He said that the Canadian Parliament has a cross-party 'Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group' that supports Taiwan, and the Legislative Yuan is also preparing to establish a 'Taiwan-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Association,' hoping to promote more frequent mutual visits and policy dialogues between the parliamentarians of the two countries through institutionalized exchanges. Housakos explained that Taiwan holds an important position in the global democratic community and is an important partner for many countries that cherish democratic values. While government-to-government relations are important, exchanges between parliaments and peoples are key to establishing long-term and stable cooperation, making this visit particularly meaningful. Chen Ching-hui mentioned that she is highly concerned about Taiwan's declining birthrate, aging population, and changes in demographic structure, and hopes to further understand Canada's relevant immigration policy experiences. She also felt honored to be organizing the Taiwan-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Association. Lin Chu-yin, as a member of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, sincerely welcomed the Canadian visitors and hoped to continue deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Liu Shu-pin stated that he had previously taught at a university and, when asked, explained Taiwan's indigenous policies and related protection systems to the visitors, including the reserved seats in the Legislative Yuan, the Council of Indigenous Peoples, and the Indigenous Television station, demonstrating Taiwan's efforts to safeguard the rights and cultural development of indigenous peoples. Both sides also extensively exchanged views on issues such as energy, healthcare, population policy, declining birthrate, parliamentary exchanges, economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people interactions, immigration policy, women's political participation, and indigenous policies. The Canadian side stated that Canada has rich experience in renewable energy and natural resources and looks forward to deepening cooperation with Taiwan in green energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply in the future. Some senators also pointed out that Taiwan's National Health Insurance system and public health system enjoy high international praise, especially during the SARS and COVID-19 epidemics, demonstrating excellent public health governance capabilities, which Canada can learn from. Both sides have broad room for cooperation in medical technology and public health management in the future. (Edited by Chang Jo-yao, Hsieh Chia-chen) 1150408