President Tsai Ing-wen said Dec. 5 that Taiwan is committed to safeguarding regional peace and stability and further cooperation with like-minded partners such as the U.S. to jointly defend democratic values and counter authoritarian expansionism.
Tsai made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy at the President Office in Taipei City. Led by NCAFP President and CEO Susan Elliott, the group includes Daniel Russel, vice president for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute; Raymond Burghardt, president of the Pacific Century Institute; and Susan Thornton, project director of the NCAFP Forum on Asia-Pacific Security.
Taiwan-U.S. partnership has gone from strength to strength over the past three years, as evidenced by the first in-person meetings for the Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st-Century Trade held in November, Tsai said.
The Global Cooperation and Training Framework founded by the two sides has grown to include partner countries from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean while its first Middle East workshop was held in Israel last month, she added.
According to Tsai, Taiwan and the U.S. have strengthened national defense exchanges and cooperation in recent years. The six military sales to Taiwan approved by the U.S. Biden administration are deeply appreciated, Tsai said, adding that the one announced in September following China’s military exercises further demonstrates U.S. commitment to Taiwan’s security.
The two countries are important strategic, economic and trade partners and the two sides’ bilateral ties are a cornerstone for a free, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, Tsai said, citing a joint statement reiterating the importance of cross-strait peace and stability released by Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron a few days ago.
In addition, the president said the government will continue working with the international community to forge secure and resilient global supply chains underpinned by democratic values.
In response, Elliott expressed agreement with Tsai that dialogue is the best way to maintain regional peace and stability and added that the strong Taiwan-U.S. relationship would not falter. (YCH-E)
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