By Caribbean News Global 
TAIPEI, Taiwan – In accordance with Taiwan’s diplomatic and global economic and trade strategies, Gong Mingxin, chairman of the National Development Commission, said he will lead an economic, trade and investment delegation of approximately 65 people including inter-ministerial officials and representatives of private enterprises, to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, looking forward to further strengthening bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation, and jointly creating a connected, resilient and democratic supply chain.
“Taiwan and Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release recently, “the relationship between Taiwan and Central and Eastern European countries has continued to deepen, and exchanges and cooperation in various fields have become closer.”
Following the historic delegation led by Czech senate president Miloš Vystrčil last year after visiting Taiwan, Central and Eastern European countries including Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland have donated vaccines “to our country this year, demonstrating the unity and warmth of international democratic partners,” meanwhile, the governments of Taiwan and Lithuania have also reached “a consensus and agreed to establish mutual offices in the second half of this year, opening up a new window of economic and trade opportunities for my country in Central and Eastern Europe and the Bohai region.”
The epidemic has raged across the world, severely affecting the economies and people’s lives in all countries. It also highlights that a stable supply chain of key industries is essential to the economic resilience and security of democratic countries.
MOFA noted that in order to cooperate with the development of the country’s six core strategic industries and strengthen the economic and trade investment links between Taiwan and Central and Eastern European countries, the economic and trade investment delegation invited representatives of domestic superior industries, public associations and non-governmental organizations to participate.
“The layout of Central and Eastern European countries strengthens the cooperation of international democratic partners on supply chain restructuring and creates peace, stability and prosperity for the people of both sides. Taiwan has many outstanding industries and talents, and continues to be an important goal of MOFA to help them go international,” MOFA added. “We believe that with the brave entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking of Taiwanese, it will be able to create more business opportunities and cooperation opportunities, and will provide Taiwan Strand more connections with democratic partners in Central and Eastern Europe to jointly build a strong and resilient democratic supply chain.”
Coinciding with Taiwan’s three countries in Central and Eastern Europe and jointly build a resilient and democratic supply chain.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Lithuanian foreign minister Lamborgis in Washington on September 15 to exchange in-depth views on issues of common concern such as regional security challenges, Chinese coercion, and economic cooperation.
MOFA reported that the “two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation and exchanges in the fields of politics, economy, trade, and security based on shared democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, including the establishment of a resilient supply chain.”
In the face of all kinds of coercion from China to Lithuania, the solidarity of the US executive branch and Congress continued to increase, as US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan called Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė on September 13, to affirm the strong and substantial relationship between the United States and Lithuania.
“The ministry of foreign affairs expressed its sincere gratitude to the United States for its strong solidarity with Lithuania once again and its support for the development of relations between Lithuania – Taiwan, and will take active and substantive actions to expand the Taiwan-Lithuania partnership,” as close coordination, contact, exchanged and in-depth views on possible future cooperation and exchanges are ongoing.
The upcoming economic and trade investment delegation visit to three countries in Central and Eastern Europe “will also pave the bridge for cooperation in the fields of laser, semiconductor, finance, and biotechnology that are highly connected to the industries of both sides,” MOFA explained, “in terms of cultivating talents in the semiconductor industry, technological innovation, trade-in agricultural and fishery products, exemplified by the Taiwan-Lithi B2B online trade fair, attracting more than 60 manufacturers from both sides to participate in business talks.”
MOFA has expressed the confidence that “Taiwan can share and provide experience resources through economic and trade missions and the establishment of mutual offices in the future.”
