New Zealand Parliamentary Delegation Explores Cooperation Opportunities with Taiwan

A parliamentary delegation from New Zealand, led by Joseph Mooney and Ingrid Leary, visited Taiwan this week and met with President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday. During the meeting, the two sides discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Taiwan and New Zealand in areas such as the digital economy, indigenous culture, and clean energy.

Mooney highlighted clean energy, particularly geothermal energy, as a key area where Taiwan and New Zealand could collaborate more closely. "New Zealand has significant expertise in geothermal technology that we believe could benefit Taiwan as it works to expand its clean energy sector," he said.

The New Zealand delegation, which included lawmakers from four major political parties, also visited the Atayal tribe in Hsinchu and the National Human Rights Museum during their trip. Leary noted that the visit reinforced her understanding of Taiwan's commitment to values like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

"It's clear that Taiwan is a thriving democracy that shares many of the same values as New Zealand," Leary said. "We look forward to continuing to deepen the friendship between our two countries."

The delegation also discussed regional security issues, including the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, Mooney stated that no decisions have been made regarding New Zealand's potential involvement in the pact.

Taiwan and New Zealand have a longstanding trade relationship, with bilateral trade reaching $1.4 billion in 2022. The recent opening of the Taiwanese market to New Zealand pineapples was hailed as a breakthrough by both sides.

Why this matters: President Tsai thanked the New Zealand government for its statement reaffirming the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. She expressed hope that democracies like Taiwan and New Zealand can cooperate more closely to maintain regional security in the face of increasing threats.

"As democracies, we have a responsibility to work together to uphold our shared values and ensure a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," Tsai said.

New Zealand Delegation to Taiwan: The visit by the New Zealand delegation comes amid heightened tensions between Taiwan and China. Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has vowed to reunify the island, by force if necessary. Taiwan, however, maintains it is an independent country with its own democratically-elected government.

In recent years, New Zealand has sought to balance its economic ties with China with its support for a rules-based international order and concerns about Beijing's human rights record and growing military assertiveness. The discussions in Taipei this week suggest Wellington is open to expanding cooperation with Taiwan, particularly in areas of mutual interest like clean energy and indigenous rights.

Key Takeaways

• New Zealand parliamentary delegation visited Taiwan, met President Tsai.
• Discussed cooperation in digital economy, indigenous culture, and clean energy.
• Highlighted geothermal energy as an area for collaboration between Taiwan and NZ.
• Delegation visited Atayal tribe, National Human Rights Museum, and discussed regional security.
• Taiwan and NZ have a $1.4B trade relationship, with recent pineapple market access.