TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has joined the new international Asian Access to Information Alliance (AAIA) as one of its founding members, the National Development Council (NDC) said Wednesday (Sept. 28).
The country co-signed the “Declaration of Cooperation on the Guiding Principles for the Asian Access to Information Alliance” with the Philippines, Cambodia, Israel, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, CNA reported.
The NDC noted that Taiwan has become a member under the official name of “Republic of China (Taiwan),” and not under the names it frequently uses in other international bodies. NDC Deputy Minister Shih Keh-her (施克和) represented the country at the signing ceremony.
Membership in the organization would allow Taiwan to share experiences of open information access and public participation in order to contribute to the deepening of regional democracy, the NDC said.
The core principles of the AAIA were freedom of speech, public access to information, and public empowerment. In his address at the signing, Shih presented Taiwan’s development of human rights and democratic values.