Taiwan delegation meets with EU officials in Brussels

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) A delegation led by Deputy Economics Minister Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) met with European Union officials to discuss bilateral economic ties during its trip to Brussels from May 23-24, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

In a statement issued Wednesday, the MOEA said the delegation met with officials from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) during the two-day visit.

DG GROW is responsible for EU policy on the single market, industry, entrepreneurship, and small businesses, according to the European Commission's website.

Both sides exchanged views on bilateral trade and investment relationships and policy, and discussed possible ways to boost bilateral economic ties, the MOEA statement said, without providing details.

The delegation's visit to Brussels is part of a European trip that also includes a stop in Lithuania from May 25-27.

According to the statement, the 24-member delegation, which departed for Europe on May 21, also attended roundtable talks with nearly 20 representatives from European businesses, think tanks, and industry associations.

The talks touched upon cooperative efforts Taiwan and the EU have been engaged in on issues such as supply chains, semiconductors, electric vehicles, and 5G, the statement added.

The delegation also met with Kathleen Van Brempt and Andrey Kovatchev, members of the European Parliament, during their time in Brussels.

Following Brussels, the delegation will head to Lithuania on May 25 for a three-day visit, according to the MOEA.

The ministry said last week that the delegation would visit the Baltic nation for meetings with senior Lithuanian government officials and the country's business community in a bid to strengthen bilateral economic links in such areas as semiconductors, lasers, electric vehicles, and biotech.