Taiwan Delegation Led by Representative Yao Chin-hsiung Attends EBRD Annual Meeting, Showcasing Taiwan's Diverse Strengths

(Central News Agency, London, 8th, special dispatch) Representative Yao Chin-hsiung led a Taiwanese delegation of government and business representatives to attend the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) annual meeting in Riga, Latvia, from the 5th to the 7th. On the 7th, he co-delivered an opening speech with EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso at the Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) annual forum.

This is the first time since 2000 that the EBRD has held its annual meeting in Riga and the Baltic region. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs and European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis also attended.

The official members of the Taiwanese delegation included International Cooperation and Development Fund Secretary-General Huang Yu-lin, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bank. The business delegation comprised companies from sectors such as ICT, finance, smart transportation, and technology. The theme of this year's meeting was "From Multilateral to Multi-faceted: Economic Innovation in a Changing World."

Speaking at the EBRD Annual Meeting of Donor Countries, Yao stated that the Baltic region's innovative vitality, democratic resilience, and digital development are highly aligned with Taiwan's core values. Taiwan has worked with the EBRD to promote digital and green transitions in the Baltic region, citing the replacement of 91 trolleybuses in Vilnius, Lithuania, as a successful cooperation case.

Yao also reiterated Taiwan's firm support for Ukraine. Taiwan is cooperating with the EBRD to provide support in areas such as postal logistics, energy security, human capital development, and critical infrastructure cybersecurity in Ukraine.

Furthermore, Taiwan participates in the International Chernobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) and the Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility (URGF) alongside like-minded European and American countries.

The Representative Office in the UK stated that Yao co-delivered an opening speech with Renaud-Basso at the TFP forum and award ceremony on the 7th.

In his speech, Yao mentioned that as global supply chain restructuring and geopolitical uncertainties continue to rise, Taiwan holds a key position in semiconductors, ICT, and advanced manufacturing, making it an important partner for countries building resilient and diversified supply chains. Taiwan also continues to support the facilitation and digitalization of trade activities.

Taiwanese tech giant ASUS participated in the "Promoting Trade Digitalization" session at the EBRD meeting, sharing how technology can assist in the development of digital trade finance in the AI era.

The Representative Office in the UK said that during his stay in Riga, Yao gave a media interview, stating that the government is actively promoting AI industry development and assisting companies in their overseas expansion. In recent years, Taiwanese tech companies have shown increased interest in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. Taiwan looks forward to continued cooperation with the EBRD in these regions in the future.

During the EBRD meeting, Representative Chen Wen-yi in Latvia led the Taiwanese business delegation to exchange views with the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and hosted a "Taiwan-Latvia Business Exchange Meeting." The event brought together Latvian political and business figures, including the chair of the Latvian parliamentary friendship group with Taiwan, Ingrīda Circene, to discuss bilateral economic and trade cooperation potential and market expansion in Central and Eastern Europe.

Taiwanese companies participating in the EBRD annual meeting included financial institutions such as Bank of Taiwan, Bank SinoPac, and the Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China, as well as CHT Security, ASUS, International Integrated Systems, Inc. (IISI), Chunghwa Telecom, Master Transportation, Ying Shi Duo, Yage Innovation, Smart Electric Systems, the Lithuanian Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, and the Taiwan EBRD Business Development Office. This showcased Taiwan's strengths in semiconductors, cybersecurity, digital transformation, electric vehicles, and fintech.

The EBRD was established in 1991 and is headquartered in London. Taiwan has long been an important partner of the EBRD, having funded over 400 EBRD technical cooperation projects to promote green, digital, and economic empowerment transitions in recipient countries, while creating business opportunities for Taiwanese companies. (Editor: Tang Shengyang) 1150609