The 42nd Sweden-Taiwan Joint Business Council took place in Taipei on Thursday, May 21. Discussions centered around artificial intelligence, energy policy and green transition, 6G and next-generation communication, as well as smart healthcare.

Deputy Economy Minister Chiang Wen-jo (江文若) said at the event that Sweden is an important economic partner for Taiwan and trade exchanges between the two grew by 41% in the past decade. She added that Swedish companies like Ericsson, Scania, IKEA, and AstraZeneca have established deep roots and long-term partnerships in Taiwan.

State Secretary to Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Diana Janse said Taiwan’s economy has shown resilience in the face of challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions. She said Sweden is exploring ways to mitigate uncertainties stemming from the changing global economic dynamics. Janse reiterated Sweden’s support for free trade and expressed hopes that WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism would resume operations.