TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To mark the 231st Constitution Day of the Republic of Poland, I would like to extend my greetings and pay respect to the people of Taiwan.
In Poland, we celebrate our National Day on May 3 to commemorate the ratification of the basic legal act by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth parliament in 1791, which created Europe’s first and the world’s second modern constitution.
Today, Poland is a successful central European economy with a rich history and culture. While strongly anchored in the European and transatlantic institutions, along with other allies and democratic partners, it is forced to face the consequences of Russia’s invasion of independent Ukraine.
This unprovoked aggression must be resisted and Poland stands side by side with Ukraine and its people in this bitter hour of truth.
Poles and Taiwanese value solidarity and mutual support in difficult moments, as best evidenced by our joint efforts to tackle the pandemic outbreak and provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Poland. I want to strongly underline how much we appreciate Taiwan’s donation of one million face masks last year.
In a reciprocal gesture of gratitude and solidarity, Poland donated 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan. Meanwhile, I am proud to see that Poles and Taiwanese have shown extraordinary generosity towards the people of Ukraine.
As it stands now, more than 3 million refugees have fled from Ukraine to Poland in the wake of Russia’s aggression. We are trying to alleviate the suffering of Ukrainians in any way that we can to provide them with the safety they need.
When it comes to cooperation between Poland and Taiwan, I am happy to see important developments and new initiatives on the horizon. A parliamentary friendship group was recently established at the Legislative Yuan, which I am sure will add a lot to our mutual exchange.
Looking ahead, I am firmly convinced that economic cooperation will be one of the most important dimensions of our partnership. We expect Polish business delegations to visit Taiwan in the near future to explore new business opportunities.
Poland benefits from its strategic location in the center of Europe and developed infrastructure, as well as a big internal market and strong consumption, talented professionals, and high-quality services. It is certainly a great destination for Taiwanese companies willing to expand in Europe.
Poland attracts a lot of foreign investors with vast opportunities in various sectors, including automotive and electromobility, electronics, ICT and green technologies. As the largest supplier of lithium-ion car batteries and battery components in Europe, Poland is becoming a new electromobility hub.
On a sectoral level, Poland boasts competitive companies in fintech, biotechnology, e-commerce, and gaming industries. Polish programmers and engineers with cutting-edge skills are regarded as among the best in Europe. Our start-ups develop advanced products and solutions that attract the attention of global companies.
Culture plays a vital role in fostering people-to-people contact. The Polish Office in Taipei arranged a number of cultural activities for the local communities in Taiwan.
We recently co-organized a special charity concert in Taipei to express solidarity with Ukraine and raise funds for those in critical need. The concert featured some masterpieces of Polish and Ukrainian classical music performed by Taiwanese and Polish artists.
Among Polish cultural events taking place in the coming months, I would personally recommend the popular Frederic Chopin outdoor piano recital in Taipei, which will take place in November. Additionally, Poland will be the guest of honor at the Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) in early 2023.
All this puts strong wind in the sails of Polish and Taiwanese cooperation. I have no doubt that our new initiatives will greatly contribute to the enhancement of our mutual contact. Let them successfully flourish!
