A delegation of representatives from various parties from the Netherlands paid a diplomatic visit to the Taiwan People’s Party. Aukje de Vries, a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) led 12 parliamentary members, including six representatives and other senior aides. The Director of the Netherlands Office in Taipei, Guido Tielman, also accompanied at the meeting; the External Affairs Commissioner of Chairman Ko’s Office, Tom Chou, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs, Renno Liao, and Legislator Huang Shan-shan, welcomed the delegation and participated in an hour of productive and in-depth discussion of the current geopolitical landscape and Taiwan’s political standing. 

In Huang Shan-Shan’s speech, she stated that since the Dutch first arrived in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1624, Taiwan and the Netherlands have maintained a historic relationship that stretches back more than 400 years. Today, Taiwan has become the Netherlands's third-largest trading partner in Asia, and the Netherlands is the second-largest trading partner in Europe. What’s most crucial to point out is that the Netherlands is Taiwan's largest foreign investment source, which explains the close and bilateral relationship between the two. 

 Legislator Huang Shan-shan also talked about the bill proposed by the Dutch parliament that supports Taiwan’s international participation. As a member of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan), she expressed sincere gratitude towards those who support the bill. Due to the political pressure from the People’s Republic of China, it has always been arduous for Taiwan to participate in international organizations, the current situation is not only unfair to the Taiwanese citizens but also limits Taiwan’s direct contribution to the global community. 

Legislator Huang cited SARS and COVID-19 as examples, stating that the Taiwanese people had to confront and uncover the pandemic alone, which has severely affected the rights and interests of the Taiwanese people. Therefore, this year, the Dutch parliament stated the “United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI)” does not exclude Taiwan’s participation. Legislator Huang expressed her appreciation to the Dutch parliament on behalf of the Taiwanese people.

When members of the visiting delegation asked about the foreign policy of the Taiwan People’s Party, the External Affairs Commissioner of Chairman Ko’s Office, Tom Chou, shared the successful case of “Urban Diplomacy” during his years in the Taipei City Government. Commissioner Chou stated that through urban diplomacy, it is crucial to first establish a basic diplomatic understanding with various countries because China would not deliberately target and suppress cities. The Commissioner also expressed that many countries have recently shown support for Taiwan’s participation in transnational organizations, and we are also hoping to join regional economic and trade organizations like the CPTPP in the future, to reduce Taiwan’s dependence on China. 

Huang Shan-shan also added that the Legislative Yuan’s diplomatic program budget this year has doubled from the previous year’s, therefore, every legislator must carry the important responsibility of conducting “parliamentary diplomacy” around the world, in which the Taiwan People’s Party will definitely participate. Huang Shan-shan stated that Taiwan wishes to join the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) this year and that the TPP’s legislator Chen Gau-Tzu is willing to put in the effort to serve as a co-chair. Such an action is also in line with what Chairman Ko Wen-je once said, “Cooperate when you need to cooperate, compete when you need to compete.” 

When discussing the energy source, Huang Shan-shan responded that some political parties use the topic of “anti-nuclear power” as a political tool, but doing so is not practical to the energy issues. Huang Shan-shan said that the energy transformation is bound to have a transitional period and cannot be achieved overnight. Huang Shan-shan said that the energy transformation is bound to have a transitional period and cannot be achieved overnight. If nuclear energy is generally regarded as a clean energy source, the government should consider keeping the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant and the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant temporarily active to ensure a stable power supply in Taiwan before green energy could fill the power supply gap, so that there would not be a need to spend more for natural gas power supply. This way Taiwan would not need to spend more on natural gas power supply. Commissioner Chou also added that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is very energy-intensive. If the government insists on using green energy at this stage, the semiconductor industry will face even more difficulties. 

The issue of Taiwan’s low birth rate and the resulting labor force shortage was also mentioned. Regarding this issue, Commissioner Chou stated that the Taiwan People’s Party and Legislator Wu Chun-cheng are actively promoting the “Strong Generation Project,” encouraging those aged 55 and above, or the so-called “Strong Generation” to return to the workplace in order to solve the labor shortage. 

The exchange between the delegation of Dutch representatives and the Taiwan People’s Party was exuberant, interactive, and productive. After the meeting, Legislator Huang Shan-shan presented the Taiwan People’s Party 5th Anniversary Beer Set to the delegation as a gift of appreciation, to thank the Dutch parliament for their support and friendship, she also emphasized that the Taiwan People’s Party will continue to work hand in hand with international partners of shared values, for Taiwan’s international participation and long-term peace across the Taiwan Strait.