外交部北美司司長薛美瑜 電子商務促進研習班致詞

2016年10月5日

Secretary General Shih（國合會施秘書長文斌）；
Deputy Director Forden（AIT/T副處長傅德恩）；
Mr. Horwitz（AIT/T經濟組組長洪士杰）；
Mr. Panzera（美聯邦交易委員會法律顧問Michael Panzera）；
Distinguished participants；
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning!
It is my honor to be here at the opening ceremony of the GCTF Workshop on E-commerce Facilitation. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all the distinguished participants of this workshop. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to come to Taiwan, also thank you for your commitment to advancing global e-commerce environment. In addition, let me also take this opportunity to thank the American Institute in Taiwan and Taiwan ICDF for another good collaboration with my ministry. 

Taiwan and the United States have been dedicated to building a comprehensive, durable and mutually beneficial partnership over years. In order to further strengthen our relationship and effectively respond to emerging global challenges and opportunities, the two countries established the Taiwan-U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) in June, 2015. The GCTF not only institutionalizes the long-time bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S., but also functions as a multilateral mechanism for Taiwan to contribute its expertise to the betterment of the region and the globe. It offers a great platform for future cooperation on issues we all care about, such as public health, energy security, women empowerment and digital economy.

Since the launch of the GCTF, Taiwan and the U.S. have co-hosted 6 training programs, including today’s workshop. More than 100 experts and officials from 22 countries of the region participated in those programs where they exchanged information and jointly built up capacities.

Today’s workshop is a milestone of GCTF programs as it is the first time, through the GCTF, both Taiwan and the U.S. demonstrate its commitment to contribute to a better environment and management for digital economy. Taiwan and the U.S. will continue to cooperate for the benefits of our region and the international community; meanwhile, your participation and collaboration are tremendously significant and highly appreciated. We hope that through this framework, we can make more economic exchanges and cooperation in the region.

Let me once again welcome all of you to join us on this occasion. We look forward to working closely with you and your government in the future. Lastly, I wish this workshop a great success, and all of you a wonderful stay in Taiwan.
Thank you!