Taipei: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has officially launched a new trade promotion office aimed at building public-private cooperation and new opportunities with Taiwan's diplomatic allies, the diplomat in charge of the project said Tuesday. The project, titled the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Economic and Trade Office, was inaugurated on July 15 and will be overseen by the MOFA-funded Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), MOFA official Yeh Chih-cheng announced at a weekly MOFA briefing.
According to Focus Taiwan, the office is currently in the process of hiring two project managers to oversee its operations. Yeh, who heads MOFA's Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs, further disclosed that TaiwanICDF, the country's main foreign aid agency, is actively searching for a suitable location for the office, likely in the TWTC International Trade Building. Additionally, Vivianne Wang has been appointed as the office's first chief, serving as a deputy counselor under the Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs.
The initiative was initially announced by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung in late March, although details were sparse at that time. On Tuesday, Yeh elaborated that the office is modeled after the Central America Trade Office (CATO), focusing on promoting economic development among Taiwan's diplomatic allies. Established in 1997 and funded by MOFA, CATO has been instrumental in organizing trade shows and cultural events to support Taiwan's Central American allies, specifically Guatemala and Belize.
The newly inaugurated trade office will not only complement CATO's efforts but also extend support to allies and like-minded partners in the South Pacific and Africa. This move is part of a broader strategy under the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, launched in May 2024 after Lin took office, which aims to enhance Taiwan's relations with its allies through tangible development initiatives.
Currently recognized by 12 countries globally, Taiwan maintains diplomatic ties with three nations in the Pacific-Marshall Islands, Palau, and Tuvalu-and seven in the Caribbean and Latin America-Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Paraguay. Eswatini in Africa and the Vatican round out the list of countries that officially recognize the Republic of China, Taiwan's formal name.