Taiwan will set up a new representative office in the Italian city of Milan, which will be its second such establishment in the European country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Taipei said Monday.
The new office in Italy's second most populous city will be named "Ufficio di Rappresentanza di Taipei in Italia-Ufficio di Milano," which translates to Taipei Representative Office in Italy - Milan Office, according to MOFA.
Preparations for the establishment of the Milan office are in progress, MOFA said in a press release, without giving a timeline for its opening.
Taiwan currently has only one representative office in Italy, in the capital Rome, and the one being set up in the northern city of Milan will help facilitate closer trade and economic links with that part of the European country, MOFA said.
Currently, there is a Taiwan Trade Center in Milan, which is run by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, a non-profit organization that seeks to help Taiwanese business enter foreign markets and boost their global competitiveness.
Last October, Taiwan's EVA Airways launched a new passenger service between Taipei and Milan.
According to MOFA, the new representative office will also offer consular and emergency services to Taiwanese expatriates living and working in the eight administrative regions in northern Italy, namely Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige.
