Sydney: Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung met with Australian lawmaker Hugh McDermott during a stopover in Australia as he returned from Tuvalu. The meeting was highlighted by a social media post from McDermott, a member of the Australian Labor Party representing New South Wales' Prospect.

According to Focus Taiwan, McDermott shared a photograph on Facebook of the meeting, which took place on Friday. In his post, he expressed his pleasure in meeting Minister Lin, alongside parliamentary colleagues and representatives from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia. The office functions as Taiwan's de facto embassy in Australia due to the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Neither McDermott nor Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) disclosed the exact location of Lin's transit stop in Australia. Such meetings are uncommon due to the lack of official diplomatic ties, making Lin's engagement with Australian politicians a notable event. Lin's stopover occurred while returning from Tuvalu, where he served as a special envoy for President Lai Ching-te.

MOFA confirmed that Lin's transit through Australia was a necessary arrangement, following his visit to Tuvalu, one of Taiwan's 12 formal diplomatic allies. During his visit to Tuvalu, Lin focused on expanding bilateral cooperation in climate change and democratic development. He contributed to the maintenance of Tuvalu's first undersea cable, "Vaka," and signed an agreement to avoid double taxation.

Lin concluded his journey, returning to Taiwan on Saturday morning after the Australian stopover.