Vice President Lai Ching-te (right) and Australian Office Taipei Rep. Jenny Bloomfield share a moment at the Presidential Office Aug. 5 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of PO)
 

Vice President Lai Ching-te received Australian Office Taipei Representative Jenny Bloomfield Aug. 5 at the Presidential Office in Taipei City, pledging to advance bilateral relations across the board.

Taiwan and Australia are important Indo-Pacific partners, Lai said. Both sides are committed to playing a central role in safeguarding democratic values while promoting peaceful development in the region, he added.

At the same time, the like-minded partners maintain strong ties on the back of complementary economies, Lai said, citing two-way trade of US$10.85 billion in 2020, as well as Taiwan’s standing as Australia’s 14th largest trading partner and Australia Taiwan’s 11th.

According to Lai, numerous opportunities for Taiwan-Australia cooperation exist in key areas such as energy and minerals. In addition, the country looks forward to working closely with its Antipodean friend in advancing collaborative hydrogen energy development, he said.

Lai, who also welcomed the renewal of a five-year memorandum of understanding on joint energy cooperation last year, took the opportunity to thank Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt for voicing support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization.

This spirit of cooperation and friendship, Lai said, is further illustrated by the actions of Bloomfield in recently gifting Australian food products and souvenirs to Taiwan’s medical staffers in appreciation for serving selflessly on the COVID-19 fightback front lines.

Going forward, Lai said, the government looks forward to partnering with Bloomfield and AOT in deepening friendship and expanding exchanges between Taiwan and Australia. (SFC-E)