President Tsai Ing-wen has taken part in a meeting with officials from Belize, Mexico, and the United States. This international delegation is in Taiwan to attend the 2021 Open Parliament Forum, a democracy forum the foreign ministry and legislature have jointly organized.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Tsai expressed Taiwan’s desire to join the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The OGP is an international initiative that promotes open government, while the CPTPP is a multi-national trade pact Taiwan has applied to join. Mexico is part of both organizations, while the US is only part of the OGP.
Tsai says that since taking office in 2016, she has taken steps to improve the transparency of Taiwan’s government, in accordance with OGP standards. She says that both the legislature and the Cabinet have taken concrete actions to increase inclusiveness in government. Tsai says she hopes these positive reforms are enough to qualify Taiwan to join the OGP.
Tsai also says she hopes Taiwan will gain admission into the CPTPP and that, if it does, Taiwan-Mexico ties will flourish.