On June 29th, Deputy Minister Huai-Jen Lee met with a delegation led by John McGuinness, Chairman of the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association. The two sides exchanged views on building a digital nation and promoting digital development as well as information security.

Deputy Minister Lee stated that the Ministry of Digital Affairs, as the motor of Taiwan's digital development, expects to realize the vision of a smart nation by linking citizens and technology, enhancing industry and security, and introducing digital instruments and open mindsets, so that Taiwan can move from a digital island to a global model of digital democracy and innovation. The minister also declared that, based on the mission of "cybersecurity is national security," and with "proactive defense" as the core strategy, Taiwan's overall information and communication security will be fundamentally strengthened. However, in addition to this, he stressed that the ministry also actively promotes ministerial cooperation to assist the public and private sectors in digital transformation, accelerate digital innovation in the industry, and take care of cyber security.

The two sides exchanged views and experiences pertaining to digital government, digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises, and information security. Deputy Minister Lee also shared the country’s experience in promoting barrier-free government websites and relevant policies and measures, citing the example of building a website for a universal cash distribution of NTD$6,000 this year, as well as sharing the measures and effectiveness of government guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises in promoting digital transformation, with the example this time being Taiwan Cloud Marketplace (TCloud). In addition, as Taiwan and Ireland are both island nations, the delegation expressed concern about the construction of submarine cables and protective measures in Taiwan. Deputy Minister Lee cited the previous case of the MODA in establishing microwave and non-synchronous satellite communications in Matsu to illustrate the policy objective of constructing a diversified heterogeneous communications backup system to enable the country to maintain smooth communications in emergency situations.

In response, Chairman McGuinness stated that he had a good understanding of the MODA’s experience in promoting the digitization of the government and the transformation of the digital industry, as well as the MODA’s efforts to strengthen digital resilience in the face of cyber security threats; Chairman McGuiness also declared that he admired Taiwan's efforts in promoting the digitization of the industry and the government's official web accessibility seal.

The delegation included key members of both houses of the Irish Parliament from across party lines: Representative Brendan Smith, Chairman of the Republican Congressional Caucus in the House of Representatives; Senator Seán Kyne, former Cabinet Whip; Senator Martin Conway, Acting Chairman of the Health Committee; and Representative Cathal Berry, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.