The Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 13 expressed deep grief over the passing of Chiou Chwei-liang, a former national policy adviser to the president, earlier in the day in Brisbane.

Following a presentation Thursday by the Ministry of Culture (MOC) on achievements in the revitalization and guidance of national cinema, Premier Su Tseng-chang said that Taiwan has the world’s richest repository of moving stories, and that the government would continue its assistance and support for the movie industry. The premier said that in addition to sharing the nation’s many engaging tales with the world, domestic cinema can draw talent from abroad to come make films in Taiwan.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, celebrated on Monday, Premier Su Tseng-chang thanked the women of Taiwan for their contributions to the nation and the roles they played in the home and workplace through the most trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In an assessment conducted by the government, Taiwan ranked sixth worldwide and first in Asia for gender equality, based on methods used by the U.N. Development Programme to compile the latest 2019 Gender Inequality Index.

Premier Su Tseng-chang noted Thursday that the U.S.-based organization Freedom House continues to list Taiwan as a “free” country, which over the past three years has consistently ranked above such democracies as the U.S. and France. Last year Taiwan was the only country in Asia rated as “open” in People Power Under Attack 2020, a report by CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists.

Premier Su Tseng-chang traveled to Pingtung County on Sunday to attend a press conference highlighting government support for Taiwan’s pineapple growers. Taiwan’s sweet-tasting pineapples are of the highest quality in the world, he said, and despite China’s ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan, the nation can take this opportunity to expand exports to other countries and develop new sales channels.