Parliamentary friendship associations set upFRIENDLY NATIONS: The establishment of the associations is a starting point for a new round of international networking, the Nicaraguan ambassador to Taiwan saidBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Legislative Yuan has established friendship associations with lawmakers in Latin America and Africa as part of the nation’s efforts to bolster ties with diplomatic allies and nations friendly to Taiwan. The two associations have been set up to promote deeper exchanges between Taiwanese lawmakers and their counterparts Latin America and Africa, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉), who spearheaded the initiative, said at the inaugural meeting in Taipei yesterday. A cross-party effort, the Taiwan-Central and South American and Caribbean Countries Parliamentary Friendship Association has 30 Taiwanese legislative members, while the Taiwan-African Countries Parliamentary Friendship Association has 46, Chiu said, adding that the goal is to have more than half of the Legislative Yuan join both groups. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei, fifth left, poses for a picture with representatives of the Taiwan-Central and South American and Caribbean Countries Parliamentary Friendship Association in Taipei yesterday. Lauding the founding of the associations, Nicaraguan Ambassador William Manuel Tapia Aleman, who is the dean of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan, said he believed the associations would benefit Taiwan’s foreign relations.

Source: Taipei Times June 29, 2020 15:56 UTC