Taiwan Minister extends Republic Day wishes, says he is in "love with India"

In his address at the reception to mark Republic Day, categorised people into two types and said that there are two types of people in the world, one who is in love with India and the other who are going to fall in love with India.

The Taiwan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Wu on Monday congratulated India on the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the 75th Republic Day of India, saying he is in love with India, reported the Central News Agency Taiwan. In his address at the reception to mark Republic Day, categorised people into two types and said that there are two types of people in the world, one who is in love with India and the other who are going to fall in love with India.

"There are two types of people, those who are going to fall in love with India and those who already have and I guess you know, I belong to the second one. It is a great honour and pleasure to join you tonight to celebrate the 75th Republic Day of India and the auguration of the grand temple Ram Mandir in the holy city of Ayodhya. On behalf of the Taiwan government, I would like to extend my congratulations to the people in the government of India on this very special occasion," he said. At the same event, India's representative to Taiwan, Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav, congratulated Taiwan's newly elected political leaders, as reported by Central News Agency Taiwan (Focus Taiwan).

During his address at a Taipei reception to celebrate India's Republic Day, Yadav extended wishes to those who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this democratic process. "We saw democracy in action recently over here and I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all individuals who embraced this opportunity and to those who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this democratic process," he said.

In the recently held Taiwanese presidential polls, Lai Ching-te, who previously served as Tainan mayor, received over 5 million votes and more than 40 per cent of the vote share, according to the Central Election Commission report, Taiwan News reported. The director-general of the India-Taipei Association (ITA) extended his congratulations to the newly elected leaders in Taiwan."Praising the "smooth and peaceful transfer of power" as a "testament to the strength and maturity of well-established democracies," he said.

The ITA represents Indian interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, according to Focus Taiwan. "Together, we (India and Taiwan) are united by our unwavering commitment to democratic values and I believe that by working in closer collaboration, we can advance these shared principles and foster a more peaceful world," he said.

Yadav hosted the reception to mark Republic Day, which commemorates the adoption of India's constitution and the country's transition to a republic on January 26, 1950. Yadav, in his address, said that on that day, over 70 years ago, India adopted its constitution, which gives all citizens the rights of a "free democratic nation," Focus Taiwan reported.

Over the years, India has become the fifth-largest economy in the world, according to the ITA head. Yadav further highlighted the India-Taiwan elections, stating that bilateral economic ties have strengthened over the past decade, with two-way trade surging from USD 2 billion in 2006 to USD 10.9 billion in the fiscal year 2022-2023.

"Taiwanese businesses have been among the largest beneficiaries of India's recent manufacturing policies, such as Make in India and Production-Linked Initiatives (PLI) schemes," he said, expressing hope that this positive momentum will continue in years to come. Highlighting the cultural exchanges, Taiwan also hosts over 3000 Indian students, with most of them enrolled in graduate programmes, according to Yadav.

He further praised the economic and people-to-people ties between India and Taiwan as possessing all the right ingredients. "It has the strong fundamentals of shared democratic values; it has unparalleled complementarities that can be leveraged; and it has a large number of friends, such as those present here, who are willing to put in the required effort. India and Taiwan are bound to grow together for a prosperous and peaceful future," Yadav added.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu lauded India during the reception as being one of the world's major global powers and enjoying cordial relations with Taiwan in areas such as trade, investment, science, technology and medicine, leading to win-win outcomes for both sides, Focus Taiwan reported. He further emphasised that Taiwan and India are both vibrant democracies with shared visions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Moreover, he expressed hope that Taipei will resume direct flights to India as soon as possible to further enhance bilateral exchanges on all fronts. Reportedly, the reception also featured a series of traditional Indian dances, Bollywood songs and dance routine performances. (ANI)

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