TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday (Nov. 6) it was not revealing details about the visit of a parliamentary delegation from Australia as a sign of mutual trust.

The arrival of six members of parliament from the ruling Australian Labor Party and the opposition National-Liberal Coalition on Sunday (Nov. 4) provoked a fierce response in the Chinese media, even though similar delegations from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Poland have also visited Taiwan and met with the country’s leaders.

Responding to media questions about the itinerary of the Australian group, MOFA Spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said she would not reveal any details about their program, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported.

She emphasized that legislators from the two countries had always been close, sharing similar values of freedom and democracy, while relations between the two had also grown closer. Australia was one of 18 target countries included in Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy.

Other parliamentary delegations usually meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), while a banquet with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also frequently features on the itinerary of official visitors.