THE Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia held a national day reception on Oct 7, to celebrate the 114th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The Office’s representative (head of mission) in Malaysia, Her Excellency Phoebe Yeh, said the world in 2025 is full of economic uncertainty and dramatic geopolitical changes. “But Taiwan remains strong with confidence, resilience and courage.”
During the event held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, she added that Taiwan is proud to lead the world in competitiveness, healthcare, ICT and circular economy, et cetera. Industries that have stood out include semiconductor, AI, biotechnology, smart healthcare, smart agriculture, green energy and so on.
“Taiwan and Malaysia continue to grow stronger and maintain a close relationship in many areas. Economically, Taiwan moved up to become Malaysia’s fourth largest trading partner in 2024, while Malaysia ranks as Taiwan’s seventh largest trading partner. Total amount recorded a historic high of US$39.1 billion. And trade volume from January to July this year reached US$31.5 billion, marking a 35% increase compared with the same period last year.
“Taiwan is Malaysia’s eighth largest Foreign Direct Investor, with cumulative investments US$16.1 billion. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on the ‘Digital New Southbound’ initiative, leveraging Taiwan’s digital strengths and soft power as a platform for deeper cooperation with Malaysia.”
She also said that Taiwan and Malaysia are forging stronger ties in education, culture and people-to-people exchanges. Malaysia is the third largest source of international students in Taiwan, currently with nearly 10,000 students. The 130,000 Malaysian alumni have contributed their expertise to Malaysia and become the “powerful bridges of friendship” between Taiwan and Malaysia.
In terms of tourism, Malaysia ranks as one of the top ASEAN countries with over 460,000 travelers visiting Taiwan in 2024, while there were around 390,000 Taiwanese visiting Malaysia. Malaysia has surpassed Thailand as the most popular destination for international tourists in Southeast Asia. She wished the “Visit Malaysia 2026” campaign a great success.
“Meanwhile, cultural exchanges have deepened mutual understanding of rich and diverse heritage. This June, the award-winning stage play ‘Apostate’ was performed in Malaysia with the support of Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. The show received rave reviews from local theatre circle and the press. The Taiwan-based Malaysian director, Koh Choon Eiow, is also a son-in-law of Taiwan. In August, Taiwan and the George Town Festival joined hands for the seventh time, bringing the award-sweeping modern dance work ‘Birdy’ by Hung Dance. ‘Birdy’ blends Tai Chi with traditional opera movements, leaving the audience thoroughly impressed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, democratic Taiwan is strategically positioned in the Asia Pacific region. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are crucial to global security and prosperity. To support Taiwan for maintaining peaceful status quo has been a strong international consensus. As more and more countries stand up to publicly express their support for Taiwan’s meaningful international participation, this proves that Taiwan is not alone, Taiwan is ‘The World’s Taiwan’.”
Yeh concluded her speech by wishing for the Taiwan-Malaysia friendship to grow even stronger and closer.
“There is an old wisdom in Taiwan: ‘Success is 30 percent destiny and 70 percent hard work’. With this spirit, I want to read a pantun to wish continued success and prosperity for the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Malaysia.
Putik kemboja mengembang di halaman,
Wangi mengharum di tengah laman,
Mari kita menjalin persahabatan,
Demi kemakmuran antara Malaysia dan Taiwan.
