Taiwan’s Medal of Honor for Parliamentary Diplomacy was awarded March 27 to U.S. Rep. Ed Royce for his decades-long involvement in strengthening ties and expanding exchanges between the two sides.
At the presentation ceremony in Taipei City, Legislative Yuan President Su Jia-chyuan said the healthy state of Taiwan-U.S. relations is largely due to visionary lawmakers like Royce, who also serves as chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. His tireless efforts in championing congressional support to further advance ties are deeply appreciated by the government and the people, he added.
According to Su, as a long-term defender and facilitator of bilateral interactions, Royce canvassed support for Taiwan in the U.S. Congress and related government agencies. Legislation such as the recently promulgated Taiwan Travel Act exemplifies this backing, he said.
Signed into law March 16, the act states that it should be the policy of the U.S. to authorize officials at all levels to travel to Taiwan to meet with their counterparts and allow high-level officials from Taiwan to enter the U.S. under conditions that demonstrate appropriate respect for the dignity of such officials.
In response, Royce thanked Su for the medal and said he hopes Taiwan-U.S. relations will grow even closer and stronger through expanded collaboration. The legislation and programs in place seek to bolster ties based on the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, as well as the shared common values of democracy and human rights, he said.
Royce, who is the first member of either the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate to be awarded the medal, was received earlier in the day by President Tsai Ing-wen at the Office of the President in Taipei. He is on his sixth and possibly last official trip to Taiwan before finishing in January 2019 as a 13-term representative for the 39th and 40th districts of California. (KWS-E)
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