The Ministry of Economic Affairs held the second annual Forging Connections Workshop from Oct. 16 to 27 with the aim of enhancing long-term partnerships with like-minded nations around the world.
Economic and trade officials as well as executives of industry associations from 12 countries took part in the training program to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan's current economic, trade and industry development and to discuss international political and economic trends.
William Liu, deputy director general of the International Trade Administration, MOEA, speaking at the workshop's symposium and closing ceremony on Oct. 27, stated that Taiwan has ranked among the most popular destinations for expatriates for several years, adding that the more visitors get to know Taiwan, the more they love it.
He noted that the goal of the Forging Connections workshop is to deepen Taiwan's economic and trade cooperation with friendly nations through greater interactions and exchanges with economic and trade officials from those nations.
The workshop participants all gave positive feedback on the workshop program, which they said has given them a deeper understanding of Taiwan's key industries and which, in turn, will be beneficial to enhancing Taiwan's investment and industry partnership ties with their respective countries.
Several field trips were organized during the 2-week workshop to introduce Taiwan's important international economic and trade role. These included visits to Startup Terrace, TSMC Museum of Innovation, the Industrial Technology Research Institute's Smart Machinery Technology Center, and Giant Group's Cycling Culture Museum. The visits also gave participants the opportunity to establish connections that will be helpful in promoting bilateral economic and trade partnership ties between Taiwan and their respective countries after they return home.
The symposium and closing ceremony for the workshop was attended by top officials from the program participants' national representative offices in Taiwan. These included the Paraguayan and Guatemalan ambassadors, Somalia's top representative, and the directors of the Taipei offices of the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia. Their attendance highlighted the importance of this international workshop.
The MOEA plans to continue organizing the Forging Connections workshop annually to build on the positive outcomes that have been achieved in the program's first two years.