Taipei Mission in Sweden held an end of the year lunch on the 13th of December at Sheraton Hotel to thank the "Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association" for a long time of promoting the development of relations between Taiwan and Sweden. Caroline Szyber, chairman of the "Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association" and 14 members of the association attended the lunch.
In his speech, Representative Liao expressed his gratitude on behalf of the government of the Republic of China to the members of the “Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association” for their tireless efforts to promote the relationship between Taiwan and Sweden. In addition he also thanked them for urging the Swedish government to support Taiwan's meaningful participation in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, The International Criminal Police Organization (UNPCCC), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), as well as being grateful for the active assistance when the Legislative Yuan´s Nordic delegation visited Sweden to learn about topics such as long-term care of the elderly, early childhood education, smart cities, etc. and to promote exchanges between the two countries´ parliaments. Representative Liao remarked that the bilateral in-depth understanding would be very helpful for both countries.
Liao also quoted the Swedish Bureau of Statistics who released a report on foreign trade data from January to September 2016. The report showed a recession; however Sweden´s and Taiwan's exports and imports were up 5% and 4%, showing how good economic and trade relations between Taiwan and Sweden are.
Caroline Szyber, a member of parliament, attended the lunch with her newborn son, who had just turned seven weeks old. Speaking at the ceremony, chairman Szyber expressed her deep impression on Taiwan's democratic politics and economic development. She expressed the hope that today's members of parliament will continue to play an important role in promoting the friendly relations between the two countries. In addition to wishing everyone Happy Christmas, Representative Liao presented a Christmas present to Noah, chairman Szyber´s newborn baby.
