TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Officials from the United States, Taiwan, and for the first time, Japan, served as co-hosts on Tuesday, March 26, for the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) on “Anti-corruption in Public and Private Sectors.”
The head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association in Taipei, Numata Mikio (沼田幹夫), said that he has been anticipating Japan’s participation in a cooperative framework to combat corruption in the region since the GCTF was founded in 2015.
"This is a historic day,” Numata remarked at the event, reported Liberty Times.
With a theme of “combating greed” at this year’s GCTF training conference, representatives from several government offices, along with representatives from abroad, joined to discuss strategies and methods to crack down on illegal financial activities in the public and private sectors.
Thirty top law enforcement officials from twenty countries in the Indo-Pacific region were invited to attend, reports Liberty Times.
The GCTF conference provides an opportunity for nations to build a network in the region committed to upholding the rule of law and rooting out illegal practices like IP theft, forced technology transfers, document forgery, money counterfeiting, and stock market manipulation.
Speaking at the opening event, Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Brent Christensen, expressed pride that the United States had partners like Taiwan in the region, with shared values, committed to fighting crime and corruption.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a regional leader in Taiwan – a mature democracy not only dedicated to countering corruption, but willing to share its expertise with partners to make the Indo-Pacific region more resistant to the dangers of corruption.”
Christensen also noted that the GCTF forum is a great place to showcases shared values among nations in the region. “It is also an opportunity to remind ourselves that democracies are not perfect, but must constantly strive for self-improvement,” said the AIT Director, quoted in a press release.
AIT Director, Brent Christensen (CNA photo)
