Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu (right) confers the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy on outgoing Australian Office in Taiwan Rep. Jenny Bloomfield for her contributions to deepening bilateral ties July 20 in Taipei City. (MOFA)
 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Friendship Medal of Diplomacy was awarded July 20 to Jenny Bloomfield, head of Australian Office in Taiwan, in recognition of her stellar work in advancing Taiwan-Australia relations.

Conferred by Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu, the medal reflects sincere appreciation of the government and people for the representative’s outstanding contributions to strengthening two-way exchanges across a broad spectrum of areas, the ministry said.

According to the MOFA, during her two-year term, Bloomfield continued to further bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest. Highlights of her time in post include Australia’s inclusion in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework as an official partner and the “40 Years, 40 Stories” project to mark the 40th anniversary of the Australian Office in Taiwan

Under her leadership, the Australian Office in Taiwan also worked with the Ministry of Education and National Development Council in launching the Australia-Taiwan English Language Learning Partnership Action Plan, and the Australian-Taiwan Health and Biotechnology Partnership with the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Health and Welfare.

In her acceptance speech, Bloomfield said trade between Australia and Taiwan tripled over the past few years despite the impact of COVID-19. The two sides also cemented their partnership in biotechnology, bilingual language learning, clean energy, Indigenous affairs and public health.

She also praised Taiwan as a beacon of democracy known for its warm and friendly civic society, adding that she expected the robust relationship to progress apace. (SFC-E)