October 31, 2016
No.252
Frank Van Massenhove, chairperson of the Management Board of the Kingdom of Belgium’s Federal Public Service Social Security, will visit Taiwan from October 31 to November 4, 2016, at the invitation of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The purpose of the visit is to gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s labor policies and developments in social welfare, gender equality and diplomacy, as well as the status of cross-strait relations. During Mr. Van Massenhove’s stay in Taiwan, he will call at the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Executive Yuan’s Department of Gender Equality , the Ministry of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Insurance and the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli Regional Branch of the Workforce Development Agency, as well as attend a reception in his honor hosted by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs François Chih-Chung Wu. Mr. Van Massenhove will also visit sites of economic and cultural significance such as the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, enhancing his knowledge about the current state of Taiwan and government policies.
Belgium has long been an important European partner of the ROC, and Taiwan-Belgium relations have continued to enjoy stable development in recent years, with parties from many areas of Belgian society affirming Taiwan’s economic prowess and political democratization. Taiwan and Belgium have already signed agreements in connection to youth working holidays, the avoidance of double taxation, air transportation services, scientific and technological cooperation, food safety and higher education. Bilateral trade exceeded US$1.68 billion in 2015, with a dozen Taiwanese enterprises having invested in Belgium, and 12 Belgian enterprises having invested in Taiwan, indicating that two-way relations continue to grow closer. (E)