National Development Council (NDC) Minister Liu Chin-Ching accepted the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (ANZCham) 2024 White Paper on behalf of the government on December 4th. ANZCham affirmed the important coordinating role of the NDC with respect to suggestions for doing business in the White Paper and expressed the hope of further enhancing the economic and strategic partnership between Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand. Minister Liu thanked ANZCham for its long-term support of Taiwan through investment and for its ongoing efforts to strengthen Taiwan-Australia-New Zealand relations. He also expressed the hope of closer cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, as well as green energy technology exchange in future.
The White Paper suggests enhancing cooperation and exchange in areas such as energy transition, medical care and personnel education in future. The themes of the suggestions are in line with the government's current policies, such as net-zero transformation, Healthy Taiwan, and the National Talent Competitiveness Jumpstart Program of the National Project of Hope.
Minister Liu pointed out that the government is currently launching the second phase of energy transition, focusing on the overall promotion of renewable energy. Taiwan and Australia share common goals in terms of accelerating the development of renewable energy and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Australia, in particular, has advantages in low-carbon technologies such as green hydrogen; the two sides can enhance cooperation to promote the application and innovation of green energy technologies. In addition, both Taiwan and New Zealand are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, with rich geothermal resources, so, in future, geothermal exploration and research cooperation can be promoted.
In the area of healthcare, to realize the Healthy Taiwan policy, the Executive Yuan will expand investment in and funding for the medical and care fields in 2025, including injecting funds into the "National Health Insurance Financial Assistance Program" to systematically enhance medical resilience. The "Healthy Taiwan Sprout Project" will cultivate medical talents and develop smart healthcare, while a new NT$10 billion cancer drug fund will be established to improve access to new cancer treatments. The government aims to implement a life-cycle review model to provide holistic health care for all.
In terms of the Bilingual Policy and international alignment, the government is introducing immersive bilingual learning environments at suitable times in various stages of the education system to gradually achieve the goal of shaping Taiwan as a bilingual nation and improving the bilingual environment for foreigners living and doing business in Taiwan; measures include promoting the simultaneous preview of Mandarin and English drafts of regulations, cooperating with taxi fleets to provide bilingual transportation services, and enhancing bilingual services in hospitals, tourist shopping areas, and convenience stores. At the same time, the government will make an effort improve the English communication abilities of Taiwanese people to offer a more livable international environment, promoting cross-border talent movement, and enhancing economic and trade cooperation.
The Taiwan government attaches great importance to this annual White Paper and will continue to strengthen communication with various ministries to further economic and trade cooperation and talent exchange together. We hope to create more resilient and innovative cooperation opportunities and economic outcomes through the joint efforts of Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand.