On the morning of May 21, Vice President Johnny C. Chiang of the Legislative Yuan met with a delegation of three members led by the Vice President of the Senate of Italy. In attendance were legislator Hsieh Yi-fong from the Kuomintang (KMT), legislator Lin Yi-chun from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), International Affairs Department Director Kevin C.F. Lin, and Representative Davide Giglio from the Italian Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Office, along with Deputy Secretary-General Lee Hsou-yao from the European Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vice President Chiang first welcomed the delegation to Taiwan for the inauguration ceremony of the 16th President and Vice President. The new session of the Legislative Yuan commenced on February 1, 2024. As President Daniel K.Y. Han is presiding over an important meeting today, Vice President Chiang extended a sincere welcome on behalf of President Han and the Legislative Yuan to our distinguished friends from Italy.
Vice President Chiang continued, stating that during his visit to Italy in 2018, he was deeply impressed by Italy's industrial and technological advancements. The appeal of Italian cuisine and the warm and cheerful nature of the Italian people are major factors that attract numerous international and Taiwanese tourists to Italy each year. He added that the people of Taiwan are equally warm and friendly, and he believes that the delegates will have a profound appreciation of this during their visit.
Vice President Chiang expressed his gratitude to Vice President of the Senate Gian Marco Centinaio for his steadfast support of Taiwan. Vice President Centinaio is visiting Taiwan for the fourth time, and on each occasion, he has led a delegation of Italian parliamentarians from various fields to foster exchanges with Taiwan. He has also organized Italian parliamentarians to jointly propose initiatives supporting Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Health Assembly (WHA). Additionally, in 2022, he facilitated the Italian parliament's passage of three resolutions in support of Taiwan, urging the international community to pay close attention to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the political situation in the Indo-Pacific region. In April of this year, the recently concluded G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Italy once again issued a statement emphasizing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He expressed his gratitude to the Italian government for its strong support of Taiwan.
Vice President Chiang further stated that people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and Italy are very frequent. During his last visit to Italy, he suggested to an Italian Member of Parliament, who previously ran a restaurant, to promote Italian cuisine. This led to a successful initiative where an Italian chef was invited to Mingtai High School in Taichung City to teach students and industry professionals how to prepare various Italian dishes. He remains impressed to this day by the wonderful taste of the famous traditional Italian dessert, tiramisu, made by the chef at that time. All those present who tasted it were full of praise. Such cultural and educational exchanges not only help align the culinary industries of both countries but also serve as a successful example of vocational education cooperation between Taiwan and Italy.
Vice President Chiang concluded by noting the many similarities in academic and political backgrounds between himself and Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio. He expressed confidence that, building on the existing foundation of Taiwan-Italy exchanges, the Legislative Yuan will organize a delegation to visit Italy in the future to further deepen the friendship and cooperation between the Legislative Yuan and the Italian Parliament.
Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio first thanked Vice President Chiang and the representatives of various parties for taking the time to meet with them. He noted that the current delegation is the most representative group from the Italian Parliament to visit Taiwan in the past decade, including three prominent senators. He expressed hope that the Legislative Yuan would recognize the increasing importance that the Italian Parliament places on Taiwan. The primary purpose of this visit, in addition to attending the inauguration ceremony of Taiwan’s 16th President and Vice President, is to gather and bring back information about Taiwan’s industrial sector and its advanced democratic development to Italy. He further noted that the intense discussions or physical altercations recently seen in Taiwan's legislature also frequently occur in the Italian Parliament. This is because both Taiwan and Italy value democracy and freedom, and such occurrences are a normal aspect of parliamentary democracies. In terms of the economy, both countries have numerous small and medium-sized enterprises as well as an increasing presence of large multinational corporations. In recent years, large enterprises from Taiwan and Italy have engaged in active exchanges. Looking ahead, he hopes that the parliaments of both countries will propose more legislation to facilitate bilateral industrial cooperation and create a more favorable environment for deepening economic and trade relations.
During the meeting, one of the delegation members, Vice President Licia Ronzulli, shared a written document with Vice President Chiang regarding the "Proposal on Safety Measures for Cultural Artifacts Loan" presented in the Italian Parliament. She expressed hope that future cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Italy will become more frequent and streamlined. Vice President Centinaio continued by noting that Taiwan has established representative offices or agencies in Rome, the capital and political center of Italy, as well as in Milan, its economic hub. He expressed confidence that, with the active efforts of both countries' overseas institutions, Taiwan and Italy will have closer cooperation in their political and economic relations in the future. He also highly commended Mr. Davide Giglio, the outgoing Representative of the Italian Economic, Trade, and Cultural Promotion Office, for his dedicated efforts in deepening bilateral relations during his time in Taiwan. He assured that he will continue to urge the Italian government to appoint diplomats as outstanding as Representative Giglio to Taiwan in order to advance the friendly relations between Taiwan and Italy.
During the exchange, Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong first welcomed the visiting delegation and expressed confidence that Vice President Centinaio still vividly remembers the street protests he encountered during his visit to Taiwan last year. Taiwan and Italy share similar national characteristics, with both peoples being very warm and having representative traditional cuisines. Consequently, Italy has always been a top choice for Taiwanese travelers to Europe. She also mentioned that she had visited Tuscany in Italy, noting that the geographical environment there is quite similar to Taiwan’s Suhua Coastal area, with one side bordering the sea and the other side adjacent to mountains, offering very beautiful scenery. However, Taiwan is located on a seismic belt, and the improvement projects for the Suhua Highway are constrained by the inherent geographical challenges. This has consistently tested Taiwan’s transportation engineering capabilities. She further mentioned that in recent years, Taiwan and Italy have increased their exchanges. She hopes that the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) restrictions on Taiwan will be reviewed and eased to promote more bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
Legislator Lin Yi-chun mentioned that she comes from Hualien County, renowned for its beautiful landscapes, and, like Vice President Centinaio, places great importance on the cultivation and production of high-quality agricultural products. She has hosted an exchange student from Milan and arranges a self-guided trip to Italy every year. Additionally, she inquired out of curiosity about the security issues in Sicily, a place she has visited previously. In response, Senator Daniela Ternullo stated that the traditional stereotype of the Sicilian Mafia has largely disappeared due to recent strong anti-mafia efforts by the Italian government and the local community’s efforts. Sicily has now transformed into a major tourist destination. Many former mafia members have transitioned into business, so everyone is very welcome to visit and experience the region’s unique landscapes and cultural features.
The visiting delegation also engaged in a broad exchange of opinions with Vice President Chiang and the attending legislators on topics such as reforms of the Legislature and strengthening Taiwan-Italy cultural and artistic exchanges. The atmosphere was friendly and cordial. The meeting lasted approximately 70 minutes, and after exchanging souvenirs and taking commemorative photos, it concluded on a positive and enjoyable note.
