Legislative Yuan

Press Release

September 26, 2023

President You meets nine-member Australian cross-party parliamentary delegation

You Si-kun: Hope Australia supports Taiwan to join CPTPP to protect international trade order.

On the morning of today (26), President You Si-kun met nine-member Australian cross-party parliamentary delegation accompanied by Legislators Chiu Yi-ying, Wu I-ding, Wu Hsin-ying, Chen Jiau-hua, Secretary General Lin Jih-jia, Consultant Chou Ya-shu, International Affairs Department Director Kevin C.F. Lin, and Deputy Director General Liu Jia-ping of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  

In his remarks, President You extended his sincere welcome on behalf of Taiwan’s congress. He stated that he welcomed Parliamentary Friendship Group of Taiwan and South Australian cross-party parliamentary delegation to Taiwan in June this year. He was glad to welcome esteemed guests from Australia after three months. Their visit demonstrated Taiwan and Australia based on the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights enjoy increasing close relations. President You took this opportunity to thank Representative Perrett, who began serving as deputy chair of the Australia-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group in 2013 and became co-chair in 2020 for his longstanding support to Taiwan. His support for Taiwan has tremendous contributions to promoting Taiwan-Australia bilateral relations.

President You continued to state that Australia supported Taiwan to participate in World Health Assembly. The people of Taiwan are grateful for its care for the human rights and health. He also hoped that Australia would care about Taiwan’s international economic situation. Taiwan has rich talents and complete high-tech industrial cluster and plays a key role in restructuring global supply chain in the post-pandemic era. He hoped that Australia will support Taiwan to join Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as soon as possible. President You continued to state that as a country upholding rule of law, and abiding by international trade regulations, honoring the principles of fairness and transparency will fully support the rules-based global trading system as a reliable trading partner. If Taiwan can join the CPTPP, it will enhance regional economic integration and increase Taiwan’s economic resilience to strengthen the economic cooperation between Taiwan and Australia to have positive impacts to both sides and the entire world.

President You further stated that abiding by global trade rules is the top priority of international economic order. In 2020, China blatantly employed trade barriers to a variety of Australian merchandises and had strong impacts to Australian industries. All of these are examples of exerting political pressure with commercial interests by totalitarian countries. At that time, on behalf of the Legislative Yuan, he purchased 300 Australian Freedom Wine to show support to democratic partners with a concrete action. He was comforted his move won the warm feedback from many fellow citizens of Taiwan. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and Australia cooperated with each other to weather daunting challenges. Compared to that of 2020, bilateral trade between Taiwan and Australia increased three folds with the amount of exceeding 43 billion Australian dollars (about NT$908.9 billion.) Australia jumped to Taiwan’s second largest source of import of wine and first largest energy and mining supplier country. Taiwan and Australia are partners of shared values of democracy. Facing the economic coercion and threats from the authoritarian countries, the democratic camp should be more united to defend the hardly earned democracy, freedom and human rights to promote economic sustainable development.

President You stressed that in the new Standard Map 2023 released by China recently included disputed territories, leading to the solemn protests of parties involved. CCP’s nature once again was exposed to the world. China not only demarcated East China Sea and South China Sea as its internal waters and expanded reefs into islands in the South China Sea and built military facilities. These moves severely violated Chinese leader’s pledge to US former President Obama in 2015 not to militarize South China Sea and posed a severe threat to Indo-Pacific peace and stability. As the founding member of the United Nations Charter and South Pacific Commission as well as major member state of AUKUS, QUAD, Five Eyes and Partners in the Blue Pacific, Australia is an important stabilizing power of the Indo-Pacific region and important pillar for international democratic camp. I hope Australia can exercise its influence to let Taiwan make more contributions to global democracy and world peace to ensure global peace and sable development.

President You especially stated that the University of Sydney was the champion of the First Yi-Lan International Collegiate Invitational Regatta in 1996. The following year, The University of Melbourne defeated US, UK, Japan, Germany and Taiwan to win the championship. President You presented the commemorative photos of the championship of their respective ala maters to Representative Wilson of the alumni of the University of Melbourne and to Representative Fletcher of the alumni of the University of Sydney. All of these show the abundant exchanges and interactions could trace back to early years. He hoped that esteemed guests will have fond memory of beautiful Formosa. He also hoped that all representatives will continue to make efforts for deepening substantive cordial relations between Taiwan and Australia.

In his remarks, Representative Wilson stated that this cross-party and cross-region parliamentary delegation from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, which extends the tradition of Australian delegation to visit Taiwan. He hoped to deepen bilateral economic, trade and scientific research cooperation. He continued to state that both sides enjoy close economic and trade exchanges, including in the fields of mining, energy, biomedicine and new communication technology. Both Australia and Taiwan are pursuing international trade of freedom and equality in the hope that based on the foundation of rule of law to continue to create an open Indo-Pacific of cooperation. The beliefs of open cooperation, freedom and equality are the core values of Australia. In recent years, Australia is actively strengthening regional cooperation to respond to challenges of pandemic, climate change and others. When facing challenges, universal values of peace, stability, autonomy and respect for human rights should be ensured.

When Representative Wilson heard President You mention about Freedom Wine, he responded that when the delegation called on President Tsai that morning, President Tsai also recommended Whisky of Friendship. The delegation was impressed by the support of the people of Taiwan to Australia. Likewise, Australia supports Taiwan’s whiskey and Kinmen sorghum liquor. Mutual support demonstrates solid friendship. He was honored to call on President Tsai and meet President You and cross-party parliamentarians during this visit. Parliamentarians share same roles and identity and responsibility endowed by the people. During this visit, he was impressed by the warm hospitality. He for sure would find time to visit Taiwan and extended a sincere invitation to all to visit Australia.