President Lai Ching-te received U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth at the Presidential Office May 28 in Taipei City, reiterating Taiwan’s commitment to expanding cooperation with the U.S. to promote prosperity for both sides and ensure regional peace and stability.
According to the president, Taiwan and the U.S. share the values of democracy and respect for the rule of law, place great importance on free and open markets and strive for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
The government has laid out a roadmap for expanding the bilateral ties and aims to balance two-way trade by purchasing more energy, agricultural and industrial products from the U.S., Lai said, calling on the U.S. Senate to fast track passage of the U.S.-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act for the benefit of both sides.
Lai thanked Washington and the U.S. Congress for their long-standing support. The senator’s 2021 visit to announce U.S. donations of vaccines at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and her active contribution to the passage of several bills supporting Taiwan are sincerely appreciated by the government and people, he added.
In response, Duckworth said she was pleased to return to Taiwan on the president’s one-year anniversary to show the strong friendship between Taiwan and the U.S.
She thanked the government for its commitment to enhancing Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities. There remain many exciting opportunities for the two sides in fields such as semiconductor production, agricultural investment, shipbuilding and healthcare, she said, adding that she will continue to help promote Taiwan-U.S. relations moving forward. (SFC-E)
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