TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) lauded the democratic partnership between Taiwan and New Zealand in a meeting with the visiting New Zealand parliamentary delegation on Thursday.

Lai thanked the New Zealand government for reaffirming the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait over the past year, according to the Presidential Office. Democracies must cooperate to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

The president pointed out that the Taiwan-New Zealand Economic Cooperation Agreement is now in effect. He hoped that both sides could explore cooperation in fields such as smart agriculture, biotechnology, and Indigenous exchanges.

New Zealand MP Stuart Smith said Taiwan and New Zealand are trading nations reliant on import and export flows, which is why freedom of navigation is so important. New Zealand deployed a naval vessel through the Taiwan Strait last year to underscore this point.

He said that New Zealand could provide geothermal energy and cooperate with Taiwan in communication technology, as the third-largest host of satellite rocket launches in the world.

MP Tangi Utikere emphasized that the formation of the New Zealand All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan plays a crucial role in fostering stable, secure, and prosperous parliamentary relations and deepening the bilateral relationship.