The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) announced that a delegation led by Italian Member of Parliament Alessandro Cattaneo from the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association visited Taiwan for five days. This visit is the largest delegation from Italian parliamentarians to Taiwan in history, demonstrating Italy’s bipartisan support and concern for Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warmly welcomed the bipartisan delegation from the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Alessandro Cattaneo, along with Roberto Traversi, Simona Flavia Malpezzi, Vanessa Cattoi, Fabrizio Benzoni, Emanuele Loperfido, and Gerolamo Cangiano, visited Taiwan from the 8th to the 12th of the month.
Foreign Minister Joseph Wu received the delegation on the 8th and expressed a warm welcome, recalling the presence of 16 parliamentarians at the completion ceremony of the Taiwan Representative Office in Italy last September. This visit exemplifies the strong friendship towards Taiwan.
Minister Wu noted that Taiwan and Italy not only have frequent cultural and artistic exchanges, such as the Chi Mei Museum housing several Stradivarius violins, but also fruitful collaborations in various industries. The inauguration of GlobalWafers’ 12-inch wafer plant in Novara, Italy last year is a concrete result of semiconductor cooperation between Taiwan and Italy.
During a luncheon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Baucus expressed gratitude to the Italian government and parliament for their continued strong support in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. As Europe and the Indo-Pacific region become increasingly interconnected in terms of security, European countries’ support and solidarity for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are more crucial than ever. Taiwan and Italy share democratic values and have great potential for cooperation in key areas such as technology, innovation, culture, and education. It is hoped that this inaugural visit by the delegation will further enhance the substantive partnership between Taiwan and Italy.
Member of Parliament Cattaneo thanked the Taiwanese government for the invitation to visit Taiwan. The delegation members represent six different political parties, making it the largest delegation of Italian parliamentarians to visit Taiwan. This visit exemplifies Italy’s bipartisan support and concern for Taiwan. The delegation looks forward to gaining a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s diverse society during this visit and aims to further deepen exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Italy in economic, artificial intelligence, semiconductor, and academic fields. They also intend to encourage continuous attention to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait from the Italian Parliament.
During their stay in Taiwan, the delegation will meet with Vice President Lai Ching-te, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Yuan Tseng Ming-chung, Deputy Minister of Finance Juan Ching-hua, Deputy Minister of the Department of Digital Development Hou Yi-hsiu, and Deputy Chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council Shen Yu-chung. They will also visit the Industrial Technology Research Institute, the Hsinchu Science Park, as well as semiconductor and artificial intelligence laboratories to witness the vibrant technological industry in Taiwan.