The ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the March 22-26 visit of Holly Vineyard, deputy assistant secretary for Asia of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a welcome sign of Taiwan-U.S. relations going from strength to strength.
Besides meeting with ROC trade and foreign affairs officials to exchange views on bilateral trade issues, Vineyard is attending the Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum March 24-27 in Taichung City, central Taiwan, the MOFA said.
On March 26, Vineyard and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Chairman Wang Chih-kang will sign a trade and investment statement of intent, following similar deals between the U.S. and seven other countries including Brazil, South Korea and mainland China.
According to the MOFA, Vineyard’s trip will further cement Taiwan-U.S. trade relations, deepen bilateral cooperation under the APEC framework, and improve U.S. understanding of Taiwan government’s determination and efforts to participate in regional integration.
Separately, Susan Stevenson, deputy assistant secretary for public diplomacy in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is in Taiwan attending the March 26-28 Fulbright East Asia Pacific Meeting organized by the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, the MOFA said. This is the first Time Taiwan has hosted the meeting, which is held every three to four years.
The Fulbright Program, set up by the U.S. Congress in 1946, now includes 155 countries. Taiwan joined the program in 1957, and FSE was established in 1964 to administer the program. To date, Fulbright has assisted more than 1,500 Taiwan scholars to study in the U.S. and over 1,300 U.S. scholars to Taiwan.
Nerissa J. Cook, deputy assistant secretary for International Organization Affairs, will also visit Taiwan March 25-26, to participate in meetings related to international economic and development issues. (SDH)