Q: Many Taiwanese people say the Australia-Taiwan relations are the best ever.  What efforts did you make to make it possible?

In the three years that I’ve been here, our trade and economic relationship has grown so much and diversified a lot.  Last year the bilateral trade was worth more than 20 billion Australian dollars, a new record for us. 

There have been several new areas of economic engagement.  One of those is that, for the first time, Taiwan is buying LNG (liquefied natural gas) from Australia, on long-term contracts, from projects that Taiwan has invested in.  This is a really important new element. 

At the same time, we’ve had big Australian companies come and invest here in Taiwan. The best example is McQuarrie investing in and developing Taiwan’s first big offshore wind farm, Formosa I, and now they’re building the second project Formosa II. 

Taiwan is also continuing to invest in Australia. One example is Formosa Plastics, which has done a very large investment in Western Australia in a new iron ore facility and processing mechanism. 

Another new area has been clinical trials.  Taiwan has very good drug development companies and Australia has good medical science, a diverse population and a favorable regulatory environment. More than 30 Taiwanese companies have tested out their new drugs and new treatments in Australia. 

Our new big strategy is “Rediscover Australia.” The pandemic’s effects on the global economy is so big.  But through all that Taiwan and Australia have cooperated really well. I would like to say, when we come out of COVID, we really want Taiwan to be looking at the new opportunities. Please come down to Australia as soon as it’s open. 

Q: What changes did you bring for Australia-Taiwan Relations over the past three years?

With the coronavirus, people in Australia have rediscovered or noticed Taiwan a lot more than the past. 

If you look at the places in the world that have managed the virus the best, Taiwan is right at the top of the list.  Taiwan has managed the borders so well, the quarantine a nd the contact tracing so well. You mobilized your whole society from manufacturing to people being very prepared to listen to good advice from the experts. 

Australia has really noticed Taiwan in a different light and in a kind of a higher profile way than before.  So that’s been a big step forward.  

Q: How likely is it for Australia to establish a travel bubble with Taiwan? How could we make it possible?

Taiwan is probably at the top of the world leaderboard.  We had an outbreak in Australia, but due to very hard work from the authorities, we’ve been able to get back on top of what you might call the second wave. 

We feel that in Australia, we have the virus back under good control.  But it’s also true that we haven’t yet within Australia got completely free movement, we are planning that by sometime in December. That’s the first step. 

Step number two is to have a travel bubble with New Zealand. Already this is operating one way because they’ve managed the virus very well. If people have been in New Zealand for 14 days or more, they can come into Australia without quarantine.  We hope maybe by December or late this year, it will also work in the other direction, but that will be New Zealand’s decision. 

The next step will be to open up with other low-risk partners, but probably we will start with Pacific countries. At that stage next year, Taiwan would possibly be part of the conversation there.  

Q: Before the pandemic, the number of Australian students going to Taiwan in the New Colombo Plan reached the highest ever. Why?

There’s a lot of interest in studying in Asia.  The New Colombo Plan aims at helping young Australians understand Asia a lot better.

I think Taiwan is recognized as a more important place than before.  So when people think of where they want to study, Taiwan comes up a little bit more. Another reason is that quite a lot of people want to study the Chinese language.  And they appreciate that Taiwan is a good place to do that. 

There’s also a very good living environment here.  From the kind of outdoors that Australians really love, mountains and forests, but also, very good and free Internet and media and travel.  Putting all those things together, people think like actually it’s a really good base to have for them to stay for a year or two at this important time of life.

Q: How did you pick up bike riding in Taiwan?

I knew that Taiwan made great bikes. I also heard from people that it’s excellent to cycle in Taiwan, because of the rivers, coastline, mountains and forests. 

So I was very keen to do it before I came.  Very happily in my first year here, the Australian Chamber of Commerce, the Australian New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, decided that they would have a charity bike ride.  I was a very enthusiastic early entrant to their bike ride.  And it was such a success that we’ve actually done it three years in a row now.  Because I did three tours with them, I’ve been able to circle the whole of Taiwan on a bike.

Q: What drives you to keep going cycling around Taiwan, the beauty of nature or the friendly Taiwanese people?

Both of those.  It’s quite different from Australia.  The mountains here are very steep.  In Australia, we’re flat up and huge.  So it’s quite diverse, but definitely flatter.  

I’ve particularly enjoyed cycling in the East Rift Valley, Hualien and Taitung, and to go through there and see people harvesting rice, to visit the hot spring, to see the mountains.  

I will keep cycling after going back to Canberra.  I’m taking my bike home, so I’ll definitely be cycling with a Taiwanese bike around Canberra. 

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