Dear members of the SCCT,
It is truly a pleasure to warmly welcome the new CEO of SCCT, Keli Yen, to “Team Sweden” and back to Taiwan. Keli brings energy, experience, and determination. At her very first day she and I immediately started to brainstorm and plan how we could work together in the best way in our respective roles. Certainly a flying start, and a very good one! In October, we will both have the pleasure to welcome the new Market Manager for Business Sweden, to make Team Sweden complete. Not to mention the recent excellent additions of team members Feng-I Tai at Business Sweden and Alaska Litsberger at SCCT.
Taiwan receives growing attention in Sweden. The geopolitical situation may be one reason. But to a large extent, the attention is also the expression of a very positive interest in Taiwan, not least from Swedish media and the general public. The interest is also echoed in the Swedish Riksdag (parliament). In August, no less than two different parliamentary groups from Sweden visited Taiwan during the same week – one from the Riksdag’s friendship association for Taiwan, the other from the Committee for Industry and Trade. A total of 13 members of the Riksdag participated in these two groups, representing five out of the seven parties in parliament. SCCT and some of its members contributed with insights on Swedish business. And in May, a group of four MPs from one party visited. I participated in the meetings that all three visiting groups had at political and high official level. I can assure that the discussions were both practical and positive. Sweden’s ties with Taiwan are extensive, despite the absence of diplomatic relations, and they can be broadened and deepened even further.
Six months have now passed since I assumed my duties in Taipei. Being the only Swedish diplomat posted here has its challenges, both in terms of the workload and the variety of the duties. So all the words of welcome and support that I have so far received from Swedish business really mean a lot. The SCCT is pivotal both in looking after the interests of Swedish and Sweden related business and in its role as a social platform among Swedes and the companies. These are roles that a Representative neither could nor should take. Yet I look forward to supporting SCCT and to participating as much as I ever can.
Anders Wollter