Deputy Foreign Minister Kelly Wu-chiao Hsieh delivered a keynote speech during the Canada-Taiwan Forum on Economic Security March 18 in Ottawa, calling for expanded bilateral cooperation in the face of China’s economic coercion.
According to the deputy minister, Taiwan and Canada have established strong cooperative ties through the Canada-Taiwan Economic Consultations over the past 30 years, while the bilateral Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement concluded last year has further strengthened the already robust connection between the countries.
Taiwan is a major player in the semiconductor, artificial intelligence and telecommunications sectors and has a key role in regional economic security and global supply chains. Given the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and other geopolitical challenges, expanding bilateral partnership is in line with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and will help promote mutual benefits and prosperity, he added.
Hsieh also stressed that Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will help strengthen global supply chain resilience and economic security. He called on all CPTPP members to accept Taiwan’s participation and urged Canada to show its support as the current CPTPP Commission chair.
Echoing Hsieh’s remarks, John McKay, chair of the Canadian House of Commons’ Standing Committee on National Defense, said that Canada and Taiwan are both on the frontline of the fight against authoritarian expansionism and have many shared values, including freedom, democracy and respect for human rights. Given the two sides’ complementary economic advantages, Taiwan’s CPTPP participation is in the interests of Canada, he added.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event was organized by Toronto-based foreign policy think tank Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, and aimed at enhancing two-way cooperation in securing critical supply chains, addressing economic coercion and developing counteract strategies, as well as issues related to Taiwan’s CPTPP accession bid.
The forum brought together approximately 130 academics, experts, members of the press, parliamentarians and officials, including Darius Skusevicius, Lithuania’s ambassador to Canada, and Hugh Stephens, former executive director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw