A foreign ministry program called “Mosaic Taiwan” kicked off in Taipei on Monday. The goal of the program is to give emerging US and Canadian leaders firsthand experience in Taiwan.
Foreign Minister David Lin presided over the program launch on Monday. He greeted the 30 participants, saying that he hoped that they will come to a deeper understanding of Taiwan during their three weeks here. He said that Taiwan is an open society in which Chinese culture has been carefully preserved and promoted.
The foreign minister also said that he hopes Taiwan can achieve even closer trade ties with the United States and Canada via a regional trade bloc.
“We hope that Washington and Ottawa will support our bid to enter into the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the near future," said Lin.
"We believe that as economic integration and regional harmonization become further enhanced in the region, Taiwan will continue to be a worthy partner to the United States and Canada." he said.
Over the next three weeks, the Mosaic Taiwan participants will take part in team-building and leadership exercises. They will meet with government officials and youth leaders, travel throughout the island, participate in community service activities, and experience homestays.