Maroc - TAIWANTODAY.TW - Top News - 01/Sep 00:00

Premier Cho receives Canadian Rep. Nickel

Premier Cho Jung-Tai received Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jim Nickel Sept. 9 at the Executive Yuan, reaffirming Taiwan’s commitment to deepening friendship by expanding bilateral cooperation and youth exchanges.   The executive director has made extensive contributions to advancing two-way ties since taking office four years ago, Cho said, adding that Nickel’s efforts are sincerely appreciated by the government and people of Taiwan.   According to the premier, the government is stepping up cooperation with partners to promote President Lai Ching-te’s Five Trusted Industry Sectors and the Four Pillars of Peace action plan unveiled in his inauguration speech this May.   Cho said both sides have made tremendous progress in the last four years, citing the foreign investment promotion and protection agreement signed in December 2023, the science, technology and innovation arrangement inked in April 2024 and the collaborative supply chain resilience framework concluded in December 2023.   In addition to economic and trade ties, the two partners enjoy robust parliamentary and youth exchanges, as evidenced by the reciprocal working holiday programs, Cho said. The government is currently setting up a new NT$10 billion (US$312 million) fund to help young adults from Taiwan pursue higher education and professional training abroad, he added, anticipating more cooperation between the two sides going forward.   In response, Nickel said Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy underscores the importance of Taiwan as a regional partner, not only because of the two sides’ mutual respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law, but also due to their shared commitment to safeguarding rules-based international order and peace and stability in the region.   Nickel said the Canadian government was thrilled to become an official member of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework in August. The country is also honored to invest in the local offshore wind power generation sector and help develop other emerging sectors, contributing to Taiwan’s policy goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, he added. (SFC-E)   Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw