President Tsai meets delegation from Swedish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Association
On the afternoon of August 23, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation from the Swedish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Association. In remarks, President Tsai thanked the Swedish government and the members of the Riksdag (parliament) for supporting Taiwan, and said that she looks forward to deepening our bilateral partnership in such areas as climate change response and supply chain security. The president also said she hopes the members of the delegation will lend their support to the signing of a Taiwan-EU bilateral investment agreement (BIA). Stating that Taiwan and Sweden are partners who share the values of freedom and democracy, the president expressed her belief that, alongside other democracies around the world, we can come together to further strengthen our democratic alliance and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
It is a great pleasure to receive another delegation from the Swedish Riksdag shortly after Riksdag Member Markus Wiechel led a delegation here this May. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I warmly welcome Riksdag Member Mathias Tegnér and the delegation and thank you all for your friendship and for recognizing Taiwan's importance.
I know that you all pay close attention to issues concerning Taiwan. In the Riksdag, you have raised numerous interpellations and motions for Taiwan and have advocated for Taiwan's international participation. Riksdag Member Joar Forssell's party, the Liberal Party of Sweden, has even incorporated support for Taiwan's participation in such specialized United Nations organizations as the World Health Organization in its party platform.
The Swedish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Association issued a statement in April emphasizing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. And at the Stockholm China Forum in May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed concern over security in the Taiwan Strait and said that Sweden was keen to further relations with Taiwan.
I would like to thank our distinguished guests and the Swedish government for supporting Taiwan. I look forward to deepening our partnership in such areas as climate change response and supply chain security. Indeed, we are currently exploring opportunities to expand our cooperation.
In terms of our economic ties, last year, bilateral trade reached US$1.7 billion, a 12.6 percent increase on the previous year. We hope that you will all lend your support to the signing of a Taiwan-EU BIA. This would strengthen our cooperation in investment and boost confidence among both Taiwanese and European businesses.
I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate that Taiwan and Sweden are partners who share the values of freedom and democracy. I believe that, alongside other democracies around the world, we can come together to further strengthen our democratic alliance and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
In closing, I thank you all once again for visiting. I understand that this is your first trip to Taiwan. Hopefully, through this firsthand experience, you will come to better understand and appreciate Taiwan. I wish you all a pleasant and fruitful visit.
A transcript of Riksdag Member Tegnér's remarks follows:
First and foremost, I would like to thank Her Excellency President Tsai for her kind words and for receiving us here with such warmth. I would also like to extend my thanks to the Taiwanese people for their kindness and the overwhelming reception we have received during this visit.
As the head of the delegation and vice chairman of the Swedish-Taiwanese parliamentary association, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the government, and again, to Her Excellency President Tsai.
Being here and experiencing parts of Taiwan firsthand is a privilege. Taiwan, with such diversity and beauty – from the vibrant life here in Taipei, to the lushness of the mountains surrounding Taipei, to the fertile rice fields of Yilan.
The Taiwan we have encountered is a place of hospitality full of free, kind, and hard-working people. These people represent values we associate with Taiwan, such as freedom, openness, and ambition.
Sweden and Taiwan share many common values. One of my colleagues mentioned yesterday that landing in Taipei felt like coming home. Not because we have been here before, but because we share common values like freedom, openness, and a belief in trade and human rights. In many ways we are the same.
Both Sweden and Taiwan recognize the values of peace [and] mutual cooperation, and in a rules-based world. Taiwan and Sweden are well-functioning democracies; both small, but freedom-loving and export-dependent. Many indicators suggest that both Sweden and Taiwan would benefit from deeper relations and increased trade between us.
In recent years, trade has multiplied and exchanges have surged. Whether it concerns industrial products for boats, ICT (information and communications technology), different types of services, medicine, life science, high-tech products, or exchange students, there's a mutual interest in enhanced exchanges and deepened relations.
One reflection of my own is that a direct flight between Sweden and Taiwan would further increase the interaction between us.
Your Excellency President Tsai, as a Swedish MP, to me it is obvious that there is an interest in Taiwan within the Swedish parliament, an interest in better relations to Taiwan, not as a response to other countries, but due to the fact that Sweden and Taiwan share common ground.
Relations to Taiwan are undoubtedly an important and well-discussed topic in the Swedish parliament. One example is the announcement from the Riksdag to the government suggesting that Sweden should enhance its presence here by opening a "House of Sweden" in Taipei. And this is supported by almost all the parties in the parliament. This proclamation to me was a clear signal that there is a will to have a higher representation here and a "House of Sweden" could be one way of achieving that.
During this visit, it has become clear to the delegation that [in] questions of green energy, green tech, and green transition, we have a lot to learn from each other. I'm also glad that your government works with social justice and climate transition together. My personal opinion is that fighting inequality is important to create a just climate transition.
Moving from one topic to another I'd like to highlight Taiwan's response during the pandemic. In the face of [the] pandemic, Taiwan acted as a role model. While other countries turned protectionist, Taiwan stood firm and became a crucial exporter of essential medical products. With that in mind, it is very hard to understand the rejection of Taiwan as an observer in the World Health Organization and the World Health Assembly.
As a visitor, one can't help but be impressed by Taiwan's democracy – vibrant, with a functioning civil society, and constitutional rights safeguarded by a good judicial system. When I look at my own country, the transition from autocratic monarchy to democracy took centuries. The Taiwanese transition took a decade. Your continued development in areas like freedom of speech, transparency, and pluralism makes Taiwan a thriving democracy, a beacon of hope in a world where freedom is diminishing, a shining light, and a role model.
Again, thank you for receiving us.
The delegation also included Riksdag Members Johan Hultberg, Åsa Eriksson, Eva Lindh, and Stefan Olsson, and was accompanied to the Presidential Office by the Swedish Trade & Invest Council Representative Anders Wollter.