Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) met with Executive Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Jim Nickel on Monday. Cho said that Taiwan-Canada relations will continue to build off the foundation laid through the signing of the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) in December 2023.
During their meeting, Cho indicated that Taiwan and Canada have cooperated substantially in areas such as economy, trade, and healthcare. As the government’s science and technology budget is slated to increase next year, he also expressed his hope that cooperation in this regard will further strengthen. So far, the Taiwan Cement Group’s lithium-ion battery cell plant in Vancouver and Foxconn Research Institute’s collaboration with Canada's non-profit Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems have proven fruitful.
Nickel agreed that Taiwan and Canada are both looking toward a future in green technology, and that the two sides will cooperate more closely in renewable energy, electric vehicles, AI, and related technologies. Cho thanked Canada for its supportive presence in the Taiwan Strait, after which Nickel emphasized that Taiwan is an important ally to Canada in the Indo-Pacific region, and that Canada opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. Nickel said he looks forward to continued exchanges in the future.