Led by Dr. Cheng-Chih Wu, chairperson of the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET), a Taiwanese delegation participated in the 2024 Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) conference in Perth, Australia, from March 4 to 8. This delegation comprised 64 representatives from 29 Higher Education Institutions. The theme of the Study in Taiwan Pavilion at APAIE this year was "Taiwan, the Technology Hub," showcasing Taiwan's educational strengths in semiconductors, circular economy, biotechnology, medical care, and artificial intelligence.


Dr. Wu noted that APAIE was established 20 years ago, and this year's conference marked the 17th annual conference. This year's theme is "Collaborating for sustainable impact: partnerships across the Asia Pacific," and over 2,500 delegates from various countries attended. Wu further noted FICHET's role in fostering the academic cooperation between Taiwanese and international higher education institutions. He also highlighted Taiwan Ministry of Education's (MOE) initiatives in talent development in recent years, particularly for countries included in Taiwan's New Southbound Policy, through specialized programs and international student engagement. 


Taiwan’s Chief Representative to Australia Douglas Yu-tien Hsu, together with other key officials of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Australia, visited the Study in Taiwan booth at APAIE on the morning of March 5th and engaged in discussions with school representatives. Hsu also hosted a banquet at the Taiwanese restaurant Formosa Garden in the evening to celebrate the delegation's efforts in advancing international education cooperation.


In addition, on the evening of March 6th, FICHET hosted FICHET’s signature event, the Taiwan Night at DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Waterfront, a networking event designed to foster international academic collaboration. The event brought together representatives from Taiwanese universities attending APAIE, as well as a considerable number of delegates from schools across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America. In his welcome remark, Dr. Wu encouraged nearly a hundred of representatives in the audience to seize the opportunity to establish closer partnerships.

Arranged by TECO Australia, representatives from FICHET and five Taiwanese universities also visited the University of Western Australia (UWA), one of world’s top 100 universities, for the Taiwan-UWA Collaboration and Exchanges Meeting on March 7th. The discussion touched upon technology, engineering, health technologies, biomedicine, and financial technologies, laying the groundwork for future academic and research partnerships.