April 10, 2017
No.042
A six-member delegation from the Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association, led by Jan Lindholm, will visit Taiwan at the invitation of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from April 10 to 14.
The delegation aims to gain a better understanding of political, economic, and social developments in Taiwan, as well as the current state of cross-strait relations, and to hold exchanges on issues of mutual interest, including our nuclear energy policy, nuclear waste management, renewable energy industry, environmental protection policies, architectural technology, and our social welfare and teacher training systems.
The delegation will meet with President of the Legislative Yuan Su Jia-chyuan, and call at the Ministry of Education, the National Development Council, the Mainland Affairs Council, the National Police Agency, the Bureau of Energy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Swedish Trade and Invest Council. The delegation will also attend a luncheon hosted by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs François Chih-Chung Wu, and visit sites of cultural and economic interest, such as the Taiwan Power Company, the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101, Longshan Temple, and Kinmen.
The delegation is made up of MPs from different parties. Jan Lindholm is a member of the Swedish parliament’s Committee on Health and Welfare, Jan Ericson is a member of the Committee on the Labor Market, Michael Svensson and Maria Stockhaus are members of the Committee on Education, while Helena Bouveng is a member of the Committee on Taxation, and Mats Green a member of the Committee on Civil Affairs.
Established in 1997, the Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association has more than 30 members who stand out as being the most active among the other friendship associations in the Swedish parliament. Over the years, it has made considerable contributions to promoting bilateral relations and supporting Taiwan with its international participation. This visit will further strengthen Sweden-Taiwan parliamentary exchanges, as well as bolster cooperative ties between the two countries. In recent years, bilateral economic and trade relations have developed steadily. Sweden is Taiwan’s leading trade partner in Northern Europe, with two-way trade reaching over US$1 billion in 2016. (E)