Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the morning of December 1, President Tsai Ing-wen met at the Presidential Office with participants in the 2021 Open Parliament Forum, which is scheduled to be held from December 2 to 3 in Taipei. In remarks at the meeting, President Tsai affirmed that open government and open parliament continue to be administration priorities, and expressed confidence that the forum will foster further cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and participating countries on democracy and other issues.

A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:

I want to extend a warm welcome to our friends from Belize, Mexico, and the United States. Thank you for traveling to Taiwan to participate in the 2021 Open Parliament Forum.

Since I took office in 2016, open government and open parliament have remained important goals of this administration. This year, the Legislative Yuan released an Open Parliament Action Plan, and the Executive Yuan launched an Open Government National Action Plan. These plans will allow civil society to participate more deeply and more promptly in discussions on a wide range of policy and legislative issues, while also strengthening cooperation between the government and civil society to jointly optimize government policies and introduce further reform and innovation.

Both plans follow international Open Government Partnership (OGP) standards, which we hope can help lay a solid foundation for Taiwan to join the OGP. We believe that your participation in this year's Open Parliament Forum can facilitate further cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and your countries on democracy and other issues.

This year is the 40th anniversary of Belize's independence. I am pleased to once again welcome Speaker Valerie Woods to Taiwan, and extend best wishes to Belize. I hope that relations between our countries will continue to deepen.

Our esteemed guest from Mexico, Senator Nadia Navarro, is visiting Taiwan for the first time. We look forward to expanding cooperation between Taiwan and Mexico. Taiwan recently applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which Mexico is a member. I believe that Taiwan's accession to the CPTPP would advance technological and economic cooperation between Taiwan and Mexico, especially in the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, and renewable energy.

I would like to thank Ambassador Derek Mitchell for his many years of support for Taiwan. Ambassador Mitchell is president of the National Democratic Institute, and is also married to a Taiwanese woman. Taiwan and the United States maintain a robust partnership based on our shared values of freedom and democracy. Our two countries have enjoyed especially close exchanges over the past year. Just last week, we held the second annual Taiwan-US Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, which will help us strengthen cooperation in semiconductors and other industries. Next year, Taiwan and the United States will continue this dialogue, and we are also planning to hold another Digital Economy Forum to further deepen bilateral collaboration in the 5G sector.

Taiwan's relations with your countries are strengthening step by step. You are all key to this process, and are creating more opportunities for mutual cooperation. Thank you once again for your visit, and I wish you a successful and fruitful trip.

The following is a transcript of remarks delivered by Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belize:

I bring warm greetings from the government and people of Belize to Her Excellency President Tsai Ing-wen and the people of Taiwan. Your hospitality has been exemplary, as have your relentless efforts in making Taiwan the global leader in democratic governance. The Open Parliament Forum this week is a further testament to that.

Belize and Taiwan have sustained a long-lasting friendship and bilateral relations for the past 32 years. Ours is an enduring bond. We share the same values of freedom, peace, democracy, stability, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. As a small and young nation, only 40 years young, we also know the challenges that come with defending sovereignty and the right to independence, as we too have fought a large neighbor. Belize remains steadfast in its support of Taiwan, and we stand in solidarity with you.

We legislators, parliamentarians, and non-governmental organizations gathering over the next two days at Taiwan's forum on open parliament is a further testament to the fact that, when we work together, there is much we can learn from each other through our shared experiences and challenges. So as we gather this week, we reaffirm our respect and recognition of Taiwan for its many contributions to the international community.

On a personal note, I take this opportunity to thank you, President Tsai Ing-wen, for the transformational leadership you have brought to the Republic of China (Taiwan) and, by extension, the wider international community. Globally, leadership by women is still woefully lacking, so when there is an opportunity to recognize the few who have braved the world of political leadership with determination and commitment, we do so with humility and gratitude for the example shown and lessons learnt. I look forward to our continued relationship, deepening of our bilateral cooperation, and, of course, a productive forum this week on open parliament inclusiveness and public engagement.

Among the other forum participants who met President Tsai were Belize Ambassador Candice A. Pitts, Belize National Assembly Deputy Clerk Clarita Pech, and National Democratic Institute Regional Director for Asia-Pacific Programs Manpreet Singh Anand. The participants were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), with Secretary-General to the President David T. Lee (李大維) also in attendance.