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Taiwan will build lasting partnerships with its allies: president

ROC Central News Agency

2016/05/20 15:54:34

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Taiwan's new President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) pledged in her inaugural speech Friday that the country will continue to share its experience in economic development and develop lasting relations with its diplomatic allies.

While giving her inaugural speech in front of the Presidential Office after being sworn in, Tsai noted the leaders and delegations of Taiwan's allies that attended her inauguration and thanked them for their long-standing assistance to Taiwan and for their support for the country's international participation.

"Going forward, through government interaction, business investment and people-to-people collaboration, we will continue to share Taiwan's experience in economic development and build lasting partnerships with our allies," she said.

Taiwan has 22 diplomatic allies, most of which are countries in the South Pacific and Latin America. All the allies sent delegations to attend Tsai's inauguration.

Meanwhile, Taiwan will continue to deepen its relations with "friendly democracies, including the United States, Japan and Europe, to advance multifaceted cooperation on the basis of shared values," she added.

In the future, Taiwan will seek to participate in international economic and trade cooperation and rule-making, steadfastly defend the global economic order, and integrate into important regional trade and commercial architecture, she said.

Taiwan will also not be absent on the prevention of global warming and climate change, Tsai added.

To this end, she said, her administration will create within the Executive Yuan an office for energy and carbon-emission reduction, and will also regularly review goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, in accordance with an agreement negotiated at the United Nations climate change conference in Paris last November.

In addition, the country will support and participate in international cooperation on emerging global issues, including humanitarian aid, medical assistance, disease prevention and research, anti-terrorism cooperation and jointly tackling transnational crime, she said.

"Taiwan will be an indispensable partner for the international community," she asserted.

Taiwan will also seek to participate in regional economic development, she said.

Taiwan's economic development is highly connected and complementary to many countries in the region, she continued.

If Taiwan's efforts to build a new model for economic development can be linked to other Asian and Asia-Pacific countries through cooperation, it will also contribute greatly to the region's structural adjustment and sustainable development, she added.

Taking note of her "new southbound policy," she said her administration will broaden exchanges and cooperation with regional neighbors in areas such as technology, culture and commerce, and expand in particular relationships with Southeast Asian countries and India.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 700 dignitaries from 59 countries attended Tsai's inauguration Friday, including a large group of Japanese lawmakers and a U.S. delegation led by former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

The Holy See, Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Europe, also sent its ambassador to Japan, Archbishop Joseph Chennoth, to lead a delegation to attend the inauguration, while many European countries also sent delegations, the ministry said.

(By Elaine Hou)
ENDITEM/J