Ministers hold talks on promoting cultural diplomacy in Japan, Europe

Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) on Tuesday held a meeting in New Taipei to discuss "cultural diplomacy," with a particular focus on the upcoming Expo 2025 in Japan and cultural events in European nations.

In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said this was the first time the two ministries have held minister-level talks. Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu (吳志中) and Deputy Culture Minister Sue Wang (王時思) were also in attendance.

During the Tuesday morning meeting, both sides talked about combining MOFA and the Ministry of Culture's (MOC) resources to boost the nation's visibility on the world stage, the MOFA press release said.

One main focus was the upcoming Osaka World Expo, which will be held between April and October, the release added.

Lin proposed that Taiwan work closely with allies to hold activities and stage artistic performances during the Osaka event.

The release said that another focus for both ministries in 2025 is to take advantage of the National Palace Museum's (NPM) upcoming exhibitions in the Czech Republic and France later this year.

With the upcoming NPM shows in Europe, the two ministries will work together to hold a series of cultural and artistic events promoting Taiwan's diverse culture with the theme of "Taiwan Culture Year," it added.

MOFA said both ministries worked together last year when the nation participated in the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad held during the Olympics.

Back then, the country set up a Taiwan Pavilion at Parc de la Villette from July 27 to Aug. 10, with 22 performing art groups from Taiwan making an appearance.