President Tsai Ing-wen departed Aug. 19 from Houston for Taiwan following an overnight stopover in the U.S. city as part of her nine-day state visit to allies Paraguay and Belize.
Prior to takeoff from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in the Airbus A350 presidential charter, Tsai took part in a business roundtable attended by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu, National Security Council Secretary-General David Tawei Lee and representatives of Taiwan businesses operating in the Texas metropolis and neighboring regions.
During the event, the president highlighted the contributions of Taiwan firms in strengthening the Taiwan-U.S. economic and trade relationship, especially in sectors such as information and communication technology, logistics and manufacturing.
CPC Corporation, Taiwan—headquartered in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City—recently concluded a 25-year procurement agreement for liquefied natural gas with Houston-based Cheniere Energy Inc., Tsai said, adding that Formosa Plastics Group based in Taipei City is rolling out new investment projects set to create thousands of jobs in Louisiana and Texas.
These positive developments underscore the complementary nature of Taiwan’s and the U.S.’s economies, as well as a shared commitment to ensuring business operations and the market economy remain free from political interference, the president said.
Earlier in the day, Tsai achieved a milestone in becoming the first serving president of Taiwan to tour NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She also participated in a dinner banquet attended by U.S. Reps. Johnson and Al Green, as well as more than 1,000 Taiwan expatriates the day before.
During the second leg of her state visit Aug. 16-18 in Belize, the president addressed a special joint session of the National Assembly and praised the strength of the friendship with the Central American country. Despite the great geographic distance, Taiwan is determined to continue supporting the national development of Belize on all fronts, she said.
According to the president, prime examples of this commitment include efforts by Taiwan technical missions in introducing new crops and improving livestock breeds, strengthening the health information system and supporting vocational training for young people.
In addition, Tsai said the government is offering more Taiwan Scholarship spots for the youth of Belize to study in Taiwan and further cementing the two-way ties. Taiwan will also invest more in Belize’s agriculture, industry and infrastructure through public-private sector initiatives such as the Official Development Assistance program, she added.
The president also thanked Belize for its vocal support of Taiwan’s bid to take part in multilateral organizations. Robust relations dating back 29 years have produced fruitful results benefiting the people of both nations, Tsai said, adding that she looks forward to working with the Commonwealth country in achieving sustainable development goals and advancing the shared values of freedom and democracy.
Other activities on Tsai’s three-day itinerary included attending a state banquet hosted by Governor-General Colville Young and Prime Minister Dean Barrow, holding talks with both officials, participating in a luncheon for Taiwan expatriates, visiting the Institute for Technical, Vocational and Education Training and leading a breakfast briefing for Taiwan technical mission staffers. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw