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December 1st, 2017 in Taiwan

Last day of study visits. We got up early after a late night outing. We took the public transport to a new side of the city that we’ve never seen to visit the Nicaraguan Embassy. This meeting was very interesting and different. Nicaragua is one of the few countries that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country. As an Ambassador who’s served in Taiwan for 10 years, Ambassador William Tapia is currently the Head of the Diplomatic Corp in Taiwan. He is a well experienced diplomat who has worked with 3 different Taiwanese Presidents. He gave us another perspective on the the one-China policy, on the region, and international relations. We also were given very appreciated morning coffee. As well as, a big wind bell from the Nicaraguan Ambassador as gift which is now hanging in the UPF office.

Time to visit the Taipei 101 area again for lunch. And not just any lunch, it was a Michelin star dumpling restaurant called Din Tai Fung. The restaurant is famous for their Xiao Long Bao dumplings. We are very grateful to the Tourism bureau for this welcoming and amazing lunch together with their representative. She introduced us to not just the culinary culture in Taiwan, but also the beautiful tourist attractions Taiwan has to offer.

After lunch, we headed to the last meeting of the day and the trip. It was a great finale of a great week of meetings. We went to the Bureau for International Trade at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. We learned about Taiwan’s external economic affairs, Taiwan’s trade, the structure. I was surprised to learn that Taiwan’s economy is extremely dependent on external trade just like Sweden. However, what is different from Sweden, is that majority of export of Taiwan is driven by small and middle sized companies. The Director of the Bureau was truly an experienced and competent person and he put Taiwan with a new economical perspective for us. We couldn’t have had a greater last meeting.

In the evening, the Travel Committee embraced another part of the culture–Karaoke. We rented a Karaoke room and singing, if we really can call it that? Everyone sang like there’s no tomorrow. Probably the worst screaming possibly imaginable were produced for several hours with even worse dance moves, but it was definitely the best time of our trip!