Director General Vincent Liu of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta was invited by Ritesh Desai, Indian-American Vice-Chair of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity, to give a speech on June 17, 2018 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a traditional Hindu worship mandir.
DG Liu spoke about the relationship between Taiwan and India. Both Taiwan and India established offices – the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India and the India-Taipei Association – in each other’s countries in 1995. Trade between Taiwan and India grew from US$1.2 billion in 2000 to US$6 billion in 2016. Both Taiwan and India specialize in the IT industry. IT means “Information & Technology”, but it could also stand for “India and Taiwan.”
President of Taiwan Dr. Tsai Ing-wen’s New Southbound Policy, which seeks to expand and improve Taiwan’s relations with neighboring countries, considers India one of its most important priorities as a valuable ally and economic partner. When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government came to power, it showed its intent to deepen engagement with Taiwan under its Act East Policy. DG Liu said he also hopes to promote relationships between Atlanta’s Taiwanese and Indian communities.
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha was established by Shastriji Maharaj in 1907. Selfless service to society is a cornerstone of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. It is dedicated to humanitarian activities including: health and wellness, education, environmental awareness, community empowerment and disaster relief. The BAPS Global Network has more than 1,100 mandirs and 3,850 religious centers around the world. The Atlanta BAPS Mandir is the largest of its kind outside India, built by 1.3 million volunteers in 17 months, and inaugurated on August 26, 2007.
More than 1,200 Indian Americans attended the speech. TECO officers Tony Tai and Liz Wang accompanied DG Liu to the event.
Photo 1: Director General Vincent Liu gave remarks on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
Photo 2: Audiences at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
Photo 3: Ritesh Desai, Indian-American Vice-Chair of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity, led to tour of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
Photo 4: Director General Vincent Liu (4th from left) with family and officers of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
