President Lai meets Italian Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio

On the afternoon of September 1, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Italian Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio. In remarks, President Lai thanked the Italian Parliament for its longstanding support of Taiwan's international participation. He stated that in the face of continued authoritarian expansion, democratic countries should lend mutual support and safeguard democracy and peace. The president expressed hope that Taiwan and Italy will further deepen economic, trade, and industrial collaboration, and that the friendship both have built over the years will yield even more tangible results, opening a new chapter in their cooperation.

A translation of President Lai's remarks follows:

Senate Vice President Centinaio is an old friend of Taiwan, and this is his fifth visit. Two years ago, he and Senator Daniela Ternullo also traveled here to attend my and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao's inauguration ceremony. I am pleased to meet and exchange views with them again, and I would like to thank the entire cross-party group of lawmakers present today for being part of the largest-ever delegation from the Italian Parliament to visit Taiwan. This visit reflects the Italian Parliament's strong support for Taiwan.

Your strong support is evident in many areas, including cultural exchanges. After more than 20 years of effort over five parliamentary terms, the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Senate passed a bill this year protecting foreign artworks on temporary loan from seizure. This legislation will provide a solid legal foundation for Taiwan's treasured cultural artifacts to be exhibited in Italy in the future.

Regarding international affairs, the Italian Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Affairs Committee issued its first Indo-Pacific investigative report last year, emphasizing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. A number of Italian senators have also repeatedly challenged China's distortion of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 through interpellation, and expressed support for Taiwan's international participation. I would again like to express my deepest gratitude to the Italian Parliament, Senate Vice President Centinaio, and members of the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group for their longstanding efforts to speak up for and stand with Taiwan.

In the face of continued authoritarian expansion, it is only through mutual support that democratic nations can safeguard democracy and peace. During Italy's G7 presidency in 2024, it deployed the aircraft carrier Cavour to the Indo-Pacific for the first time to participate in joint military exercises. Over the last two years, Italy has continued to deploy naval vessels to the Indo-Pacific, demonstrating its determination to uphold peace and stability in the region. Going forward, Taiwan will continue to work with Italy and other like-minded partners, not only to uphold the rules-based international order, but also to further expand economic, trade, and industrial collaboration.

As for Taiwan-Italy economic and trade relations, Italy is currently Taiwan's fourth largest trading partner in the European Union, and our industries are highly complementary. Italy has strong capabilities in automobiles, design, and advanced materials, while Taiwan has well-developed industrial clusters in semiconductors, information and communications technology, and electronics manufacturing. This past June, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) led an economic and trade delegation to Milan, creating further opportunities for Taiwan and Italy to expand industrial cooperation.

With the support of our guests, I look forward to the friendship that Taiwan and Italy have built over the years yielding even more tangible results, bringing greater prosperity and development to both sides. I hope we can continue to work together to open a new chapter in Taiwan-Italy cooperation.

Senate Vice President Centinaio then delivered remarks, stating that the delegation, in size and composition, is the most significant delegation from Italy to visit Taiwan in recent years. He noted that it includes members of both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, representing ruling and opposition parties and different regions across northern, central, and southern Italy. Thus, he said, the delegation is honored to represent the whole of Italy in visiting Taiwan.

Senate Vice President Centinaio indicated that Taiwan and Italy's relationship extends beyond economic and trade ties from business. For both countries, he said, democracy is a fundamental principle, and exchanges are ultimately about advancing and protecting the interests of the people. He stated that members of the delegation have continued to promote this work in parliament, including passing the bill protecting foreign artworks on loan and consistently voicing support for Taiwan-Italy relations. He stated that this demonstrates many members of the Italian Parliament deeply believe in the friendship with Taiwan. Furthermore, he said, they hold an important conviction - that supporting Taiwan and helping maintain the status quo in the international community are vital to safeguarding democracy around the world.

Senate Vice President Centinaio stated that continued parliamentary and people-to-people exchanges are critical to achieving the goals shared by Taiwan and Italy. He remarked that Taiwan's establishment of an additional representative office in Milan helps more Italians learn about Taiwan, and also contributes to the shared missions of promoting democratic values worldwide and moving forward together to achieve even more through cooperation in the years to come. Finally, he reiterated that Italy remains a friend of and stands with Taiwan.

The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Italian Economic, Commercial and Cultural Promotion Office in Taipei Representative Marco Lombardi.