President Tsai meets Australian Representative to Taiwan Jenny Bloomfield
On the morning of August 12, President Tsai Ing-wen met with Jenny Bloomfield, the Australian Representative to Taiwan. In her remarks at the meeting, President Tsai stated that Taiwan and Australia are like-minded countries working together to maintain security and promote stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The president expressed confidence that, as reliable trade partners, Taiwan and Australia will collaborate to strengthen the resilience of regional supply chains and advance an approach to economic recovery that balances development and sustainability, and stated her hope that our countries can soon start talks on an economic cooperation agreement, opening a new chapter in Taiwan-Australia cooperation.
A translation of the president's remarks follows:
Welcome to the Presidential Office. Since arriving in Taiwan to assume your post in February, Representative Bloomfield, you have worked tirelessly to expand relations between Taiwan and Australia on all fronts and to promote exchanges between our peoples.
As we have seen on its very engaging Facebook page, the Australian Office often shares information about local culture, arts, holidays, and festivals. During the Olympics, posts also cheered on Taiwanese and Australian athletes and celebrated medal-winning performances by both nations. These posts received enthusiastic feedback from the Taiwanese public and demonstrated the strong friendship between our nations.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Brisbane on being chosen to host the 2032 Summer Olympics—the third time Australia will host the games.
Taiwan and Australia are like-minded nations who share the same universal values. I want to thank the Australian government for staunchly supporting Taiwan's international participation in recent years, and for publicly emphasizing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Over the past few years, we have seen more and more democracies join efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, with Australia taking an active role in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD). Taiwan will continue working with like-minded countries, including Australia, to maintain security and promote stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Going forward, I hope Australia can continue to support Taiwan on the international stage.
Taiwan-Australia relations have progressed significantly in many areas, including in educational exchanges, technology and cybersecurity, and trade and investment. For example, over the past five years, trade between Taiwan and Australia has steadily increased by around ten percent each year.
Now, governments across the globe have made it their goal to develop stable supply chains and resilient disease control systems founded on common values.
Taiwan and Australia are reliable trade partners, and I am confident that we can work together to strengthen the resilience of regional supply chains and promote an approach to economic recovery that balances development and sustainability. I also hope that we can soon enter into negotiations on an economic cooperation agreement, which would open a new chapter in Taiwan-Australia cooperation.
This year marks the Australian Office's 40th year in Taiwan. I would like to thank you all once again for your important contributions to bilateral relations and people-to-people exchanges between our countries. Looking ahead, we hope to build upon our existing strong foundation and further deepen our close ties. Thank you!