TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 36th Joint Conference of the ROC-Australia Council (ROCABC) and the Australia-Taiwan Business Council (ATBC) kicked off on Monday (Aug. 14) with a welcoming dinner for dignitaries and delegates.

The conference will run Tuesday (Aug. 15) and Wednesday (Aug 16.) at the Shangri-La Far Eastern with the theme of “Taiwan-Australia – Resilient Energy.” Guests were welcomed with a tea ceremony by tea sommelier Grace Lai.

Opening remarks were made by Yang Wei-fuu (楊偉甫), chair of ROCABC and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA), Taiwan.

John Toigo, chair of ATBC, then responded to Yang’s welcoming remarks, saying what a pleasure it was to be able to finally meet again, face-to-face after the difficult years of COVID. Toigo said that the success of the relationship between Taiwan and Australia is based on “trust and relationship.”

Special remarks were also made by Ambassador Lan Sha-li (藍夏禮), director general for the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), who noted the extensive levels of business and trade that now exist between Australia and Taiwan.

Earlier this year, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Bureau of Foreign Trade, stated that by 2022, bilateral trade between Taiwan and Australia totaled US$31.9 billion (NT$1 trillion) and that Australia is Taiwan's seventh largest trading partner, accounting for 3.5% of Taiwan’s total trade.

Lachlan Crews, acting representative of the Australia Office in Taipei reiterated the remarks of the earlier speakers.

All delegates are looking forward to presentations on resilient energy over coming days.