From 1-6 October, Lord Alton of Liverpool led a delegation to visit Taiwan in an effort to boost bilateral cooperation in civil society development, human rights and religious freedom. The delegation was comprised of Arise Foundation founder and director Luke de Pulford as well as Chief of Staff for the Stanhill Foundation and member of the Order of Malta Anton de Piro. During their visit, the delegation met and exchanged ideas with several high level officials, including National Security Council Deputy Secretary General Dr Tsai Ming-Yen, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, Deputy Foreign Minister Kelly Wu-Chiao Hsieh, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-Cheng and Deputy Director-General of the National Immigration Agency Bill Chung. The delegation also called on the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Lord Alton and Luke de Pulford gave a presentation on the importance of religious freedom at Taiwan’s Fu Jen Catholic University. Lord Alton pointed out the state of religion in China, citing the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and Tibetan Buddhists, and expressed hope to raise awareness of these issues around the world. Commenting on the situation in Hong Kong, Luke de Pulford urged attendees to get involved by supporting Hong Kongers and those deprived of basic human rights. Following the delegation’s return to the UK, the Arise Foundation published an article about the encouraging outcomes of the visit, citing Taiwan’s record on combating human trafficking as “remarkable and praiseworthy” and stressing the country’s strategic importance to the anti-slavery movement in Southeast Asia.
