Taiwan is committed to strengthening its exchanges with other countries, President Tsai Ing-wen (???) said in a Lunar New Year’s speech released Sunday.
In a pre-recorded video speech, Tsai thanked Taiwan’s “democratic partners” for their support and said the country would continue strengthening its exchanges with international counterparts.
In the meantime, the government would push for national development and economic growth, Tsai said.
Taiwan’s economy grew by over 6 percent in 2021, which is the largest growth for 11 years, and the country has seen positive export growth for 18 consecutive months, Tsai added.
According to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Taiwan’s economy grew by 6.28 percent in 2021 on the back of a strong performance for exports.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs also reported that Taiwan’s export orders totaled US$674.13 billion in 2021, an increase of 26.3 percent from a year earlier driven by sustained global demand for tech products.
In addition, Tsai said the people of Taiwan had worked together over the past year to overcome many challenges, making particular mention of a severe drought in central and southern Taiwan before the end of May and a local COVID-19 outbreak across the country in mid-May.
Speaking about the ongoing fight against the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Tsai urged the public to receive vaccines as soon as possible and observe health protocols during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel