CANADA:
The former president, who was due to deliver a keynote speech today at an annual security summit in Canada, thanked Taiwanese compatriots for their support
Former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Canada on Thursday urged Taiwanese compatriots in the North American country to continue working for Taiwan through its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Tsai spoke at a luncheon hosted by Taiwanese compatriots in Toronto about her gratitude for their contributions to Taiwan during her time in office.
“I’m here to thank you all personally. “I am grateful for your support of the government during my eight years in office (2016 to last year) and your efforts in Canada to increase Taiwan’s visibility in the world,” she said.
Photo: Screenshot from Tsai Ing-wen’s Facebook page
“Now I encourage you to keep busy and continue working for Taiwan and pushing for Taiwan’s bid to join the CPTPP, as Canada plays an important role (in the success of Taiwan’s bid), she added.
The CPTPP, which emerged from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the US left in January 2017, is one of the largest trading blocs in the world. It represents a market of 500 million people and is responsible for 13.5 percent of global trade.
The eleven signatories are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
Britain applied to join the CPTPP in 2021 and formally signed the accession protocol on July 16 last year. The British government expects the agreement to enter into force on December 15.
Under the CPTPP’s Auckland Principles, the group is open to entry by any economy that is willing and able to meet the high standards of the CPTPP, has a proven history of compliance with existing trade obligations and the consensus of CPTPP members can achieve.
Taiwan is the 21st largest economy in the world and has played a crucial role in global supply chains. “Taiwan’s participation in the CPTPP is expected to enable Taipei to work with more partners to enhance prosperity in the region,” Tsai said.
“Taiwan is well prepared to join the CPTPP as it has amended domestic legislation to meet the high standards (set by the trading bloc),” she added.
Tsai, who was invited to visit Canada to deliver a keynote speech at the Halifax International Security Forum’s annual summit in the provincial capital of Nova Scotia, is the first former Taiwanese president to meet Taiwanese compatriots in person in the North American country .
In the past, presidents have addressed similar events organized by Taiwanese compatriots in Canada, but only through a pre-recorded video. Tsai’s presence at the Toronto activity was described as a historic visit by Huang Huang-yu (黃煌裕), a member of the Overseas Community Affairs Council.
Taiwan’s contribution to the world is widely recognized and ties with Canada have improved significantly, she said.
Taiwanese compatriots in Canada have acted unitedly and been an important voice in supporting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly, the WHO’s decision-making body, by touting Taiwan’s achievements in public health, she added .
These Taiwanese compatriots have worked with several Canadian parliamentarians to organize advocacy forums for Taiwan’s participation in the UN and the CPTPP.
“I believe these efforts will help Taiwan move forward in a stable manner,” Tsai said.
Before attending the luncheon, Tsai also visited Maeli Market, a supermarket owned by Kuo Hua Trading Co, Canada’s largest importer of food from Taiwan.
Ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese customers account for 70 percent of the store’s total customers, Maeli Market said.
Many customers who had never visited Taiwan expressed their willingness to do so after patronizing the supermarket because the store conveys Taiwan’s unique sensibilities and cultures, it added.
Tsai was scheduled to address the Halifax summit early this morning Taipei time.
Leave a Reply