Remarks on the 30^th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as a Member of CABEI and the 1^st Anniversary of the Inauguration of CABEI’s Taipei Office

Dr. Chin-Long Yang

Governor

Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Dr. Mossi, Minister Su, Secretary General Hsu, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to join the celebration for the 30^th Anniversary of Taiwan’s membership in CABEI and the 1^st Anniversary of the opening of CABEI’s Taipei office. CABEI is the most important multilateral development agency in Central America. Its performance is widely recognized. Standard & Poor's upgraded its rating from A+ to AA in 2019, which makes CABEI the most credit worthy multilateral development agency in Latin America. More recently, CABEI has won my deepest respect for launching the 3 billion US dollar "Emergency Support and Preparedness Program for COVID-19 and Economic Reactivation," a program designed to support the health care system in Central America and mitigate the economic adversities caused by the pandemic.

CABEI is the first international organization to open an office in Taiwan. Taipei also happens to be the CABEI's first office in Asia. This is a remarkable achievement, therefore I would like to congratulate Dr. Mossi, Minister Su and Minister Wu for turning this project into a reality, despite a myriad of obstacles along the way. I am also glad that the central bank was able to play a supporting role by fielding Wei-Sheng Chiu, who was our director at CABEI throughout the process.

Looking back at history, several of my predecessors shared a special affection for CABEI. Back in 1992, Governor Samuel Shieh had the honor of being invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve as our country’s first governor in CABEI. In 1998, when CABEI moved into a new office building, it named the directors’ boardroom “Salon de Dr. Yuan-Dong Sheu” to commemorate Governor Sheu. In addition, Governor Perng, one of the longest serving CABEI governors, is best remembered for working closely with CABEI to champion the "Regional Lending Program for Coffee Rust in Central America." As for myself, I was fortunate enough to witness in person the historic signing ceremony for establishing the country office in Taiwan last year, and I am very privileged to be part of the double-anniversary celebration this morning.

Looking ahead, I hope CABEI’s Taipei Office will build on the foundation laid down by our predecessors over the last 30 years and further deepen the cooperation and strengthen the partnership between CABEI and Taiwan. I would encourage CABEI to take advantage of not only Taiwan's stable financial environment, but also competitive edge in information and communication technology as well as green energy to promote sustainable development in Central America. Thank you.