Ukraine delegation visits Taiwan to garner reconstruction support

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) A Ukrainian delegation is currently visiting Taiwan in a bid to shore up assistance from Taiwanese firms in the reconstruction of Ukraine following Russia's invasion, according to a government-sponsored trade promotion organization.

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said Tuesday in a statement that the Ukrainian delegation, comprised of government and industry representatives, arrived in Taiwan Sunday night.

On Monday, the delegation led by the Ukrainian government's purchasing platform PROZOROO, spoke with TAITRA Chairman James Huang (黃志芳), who pledged to assist in the rebuilding of war-torn Ukraine and to facilitate introductions with potential Taiwanese construction firms.

In response, PROZOROO CEO Mykola Tkachenko said the visit was expected to help raise Ukrainian awareness of Taiwan's tech capabilities. Tkachenko admitted that many in the European country had known very little about Taiwan in the past.

In turn, Tkachenko said, given that the delegation includes representatives from Ukraine's industrial sector, another aim of the visit was for Taiwanese companies to learn more about Ukraine's industrial development and to create opportunities in the electronics, machinery, energy and healthcare arenas.

TAITRA said in the statement that it held a forum regarding rebuilding Ukraine on Tuesday, inviting almost 200 Taiwanese representatives to attend. The forum served as a channel for Taiwanese and Ukrainian companies to meet potential business partners, it added.

At the forum representatives from the Ukrainian medical care group Unbroken, which aims to help the country recover in the post-war era, and a private power supplier shared videos with Taiwanese attendees depicting the conditions in Ukraine following the Russian invasion and detailed their country's efforts in rebuilding.

A Ukrainian delegate urged Taiwanese companies to participate in numerous aspects of rebuilding Ukraine, including energy supplies, energy transformation, and the upgrading of a power transmission system which was built in the Soviet Union era, TAITRA said.

The delegate said now was the time for Taiwanese companies to find business partners in Ukraine as the country was seeking cooperation ahead of its reconstruction.

They added that Ukrainian companies were very interested in a wide range of products made in Taiwan such as PhotoMOS relays, optical couplers, electronics medicine devices, generators, energy storage products, and computer numerical control (CNC) machines.

In the statement, Simon Wang (王熙蒙), president and CEO of TAITRA, said the Ukrainian delegation had traveled a long way amid the war to make the historic visit to Taiwan, and that Taiwan and Ukraine are expected to keep any pledges made regarding cooperation.

Wang said TAITRA and its Kyiv trade center would continue to push for exchanges between the two sides.

According to TAITRA, before the delegation leaves Taiwan on Friday, it will visit Taiwanese companies specializing in electronics and power management, industrial computers, smart healthcare and machine tools.