TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu (吳志中) underlined Germany’s key role as a backer of Taiwan’s bid to participate in the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

Wu made the statement during a video conference with Yvonne Magwas, the deputy speaker of Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on Tuesday. He congratulated her on the victory of her party, the CDU, in the Feb. 23 legislative elections, according to the ministry.

Wu also noted how Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. had chosen Germany for a major investment in chip fabs. On that basis, the two countries would continue to deepen cooperation on economic, trade, scientific and technology issues, he added.

Magwas said her home state was Saxony, the region which included Dresden, home to the new TSMC plant. She thanked Taiwan and the company for investing in the area, boosting economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Magwas said the semiconductor project was evidence that Taiwan and Germany were partners in democracy and also shared the same values in combating the expansion of authoritarianism.