Italian Senate Deputy Speaker Gian Marco Centinaio and his delegation met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) at the Presidential Office this Tuesday. The president welcomed Centinaio on his fifth visit to Taiwan and thanked Italy for sending its largest-ever cross-party parliamentary delegation to the country, saying the visit demonstrated strong support for Taiwan from the Italian Parliament.

Lai thanked the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ Foreign Affairs Committee for issuing its first Indo-Pacific report last year. He also noted that when Italy held the G7 presidency in 2024, it deployed the aircraft carrier Cavour to the Indo-Pacific for joint military exercises for the first time. Italy has continued sending naval vessels to the region over the past two years, demonstrating its determination to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Several Italian senators have also repeatedly challenged China’s misrepresentation of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 through parliamentary questioning and expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in international affairs.

Finally, the president pointed out that Italy is Taiwan’s fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union, in addition to highlighting legislation passed by Italy’s House of Representatives and Senate this year exempting foreign cultural artifacts on loan from seizure. 

In his remarks, Centinaio said the Italian Parliament believes that helping Taiwan means helping the world as a whole and that maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait is fundamental to democracy. He said the delegation would remain committed to the relationship and friendship between Italy and Taiwan, expressing confidence that the two democracies could achieve even greater results by continuing to stand side by side.

During their six-day stay, the delegation will also visit Taiwan’s Agriculture Ministry, Health Ministry, Mainland Affairs Council, International Trade Administration, and Industrial Technology Research Institute, as well as make local government visits in Tainan and Kaohsiung.