21 April 2010

NZIIA Seminar presented by Mr. Charles Tsai, Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office

By Tadashi Iwami & Moira Blake

We were delighted to have Mr. Charles Tsai, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Wellington as our presenter for the first seminar of the 2010 academic year of the Palmerston North Branch of NZIIA (New Zealand Institute of International Affairs).

Mr Tsai was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Linda Tsai, and another key official from the Wellington office, Mr. Chyi Chiou, Director of the Information Division. Before the seminar, the guests were shown around the campus by IPC staff and students from both Taiwan and China, and then enjoyed lunch with them and other IPC staff at Swan House.

Several members of the local Taiwanese community attended the presentation as well as a large group of IPC students and staff, and Massey University’s NZIIA representatives. Mr. Tsai gave us a comprehensive view of the relationship between Taiwan and New Zealand with particular reference to the importance of bilateral trade, cultural communication, and business linkages between the two countries. He made mention of the fact that New Zealand’s Anchor butter has 71% of the butter market in Taiwan, and that Taiwan takes a significant proportion of our kiwifruit, Comvita honey products (Manuka honey, bee pollen and royal jelly), and deer velvet. Potatoes are also high on the list of New Zealand exports to Taiwan, as is colostrum (a highly nutritious milk product). A rising star is Zealong tea, which is being grown in the Waikato by a Taiwanese immigrant to New Zealand. It is New Zealand grown oolong tea – a tea which can sell for $11,000 a kilo in Taiwan and China!

Mr Tsai informed the meeting about Taiwan’s flexible diplomacy approach to international relations and to the progress made in Cross-Strait Relations (between Taiwan and Mainland China) under the leadership of the new president of Taiwan, especially the fact that there have been four Cross-Strait talks since June 2008 when the new president was elected.

He also spoke about the way in which Taiwan cooperates with New Zealand researchers to commercialise the products they develop here, and the Young Leader Internship programme, which allows young New Zealanders to spend eight weeks in the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan. He made mention too of the possibility, suggested by anthropologists, that the Maori people of New Zealand originated from

Taiwan, and of how easy it is for New Zealanders, including IPC students, and Taiwanese to spend up to a year in each others’ countries. His concluding remarks made us believe that Taipei and Wellington are getting closer than ever before through their economic, cultural, and people-to-people relationships.

The seminar was a great opportunity for all those attending not only to expand their knowledge of Taiwan, but also to have their own intellectual curiosity stimulated.

Mr Charles Tsai giving his presentation

So many students and staff listening!

Mandarin speaking students and staff showing the guests around IPC campus

Mr Tsai (3rd from right), Mrs Tsai (2nd from left), and Mr Chiou (far right) with IPC students from Taiwan and China and IPC staff.

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