President Tsai Ing-wen reiterated March 21 the government’s commitment to expanding robust Taiwan-U.S. ties across a broad spectrum of areas including regional peace and prosperity, people-to-people exchanges and mutually beneficial trade.
The strong partnership between the two sides is based on a deep and abiding belief in democracy, freedom and free markets, the president said. “We share a common interest in protecting these values and encouraging their development around the region.”
Tsai made the remarks at the annual banquet organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei City. The event was attended by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Alex Wong, who is on a three-day visit to Taiwan concluding March 22.
According to the president, more frequent exchanges among officials from the two sides as well as the recent promulgation of the Taiwan Travel Act highlight the ever closer bilateral relationship. She thanked U.S. President Donald J. Trump and the U.S. Congress for supporting the bill.
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.
Echoing Tsai’s remarks, Wong said that the U.S. is Taiwan’s closest friend and partner and the U.S. commitment to supporting Taiwan has never been stronger.
According to Wong, the U.S. government is also dedicated to promoting appropriate respect for Taiwan’s role in the global community. “Taiwan can no longer be excluded unjustly from international fora,” he said, noting that it has much to offer across such areas as humanitarian relief, public health and sustainable development.
Hindering Taiwan’s efforts to share its expertise is unfair and needlessly impacts those who could benefit from its contributions, Wong said. Taiwan’s democracy serves as an example for the Indo-Pacific region and the U.S. remains fully committed to bolstering its defensive capabilities, he added. (KWS-E)
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