Tsai calls for expanding bilateral ties in meet with US senator

2017/06/01

President Tsai Ing-wen said May 30 that strengthening Taiwan-U.S. ties based on the Taiwan Relations Act and Six Assurances will deliver substantial benefits for both sides, calling for expanded bilateral exchanges and talks on a trade agreement.
 
 Tsai made the comments while receiving a U.S. delegation led by Sen. Cory Gardner, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, The Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy, at the Office of the President in Taipei City.
 
 According to Tsai, a trade agreement will bolster industrial development in Taiwan and the U.S., further deepening the longstanding economic partnership between the two sides.
 
 The president expressed gratitude to Gardner for his staunch support of Taiwan’s international participation, highlighting his efforts to help pass a bill in the U.S. Congress last year advocating observer status for Taiwan at Interpol. Gardner also voiced his backing this month for Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the World Health Assembly—the decision-making body of the World Health Organization.
 
 Tsai thanked Gardner and other senators for proposing the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, which seeks to strengthen U.S. security commitments and cooperative relations with its Asia-Pacific allies.
 
 The president said that U.S. sales of defensive weapons to Taiwan have contributed to the maintenance of cross-strait peace and stability. These arms sales are not just in Taiwan’s interest, but benefit the U.S. and other like-minded countries, she added.
 
 In response, Gardner described Taiwan as an important ally of the U.S., stating that he looks forward to continued growth in the bilateral relationship. The senator emphasized the significance of mutual visits by Taiwan and U.S. high-ranking officials and expressed his hope that defensive arms sales will become a regular topic of discussion, adding that he will reaffirm the TRA in the proposed act.
 
 Signed into law in 1979 after the U.S. switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing, the TRA authorizes the continuation of substantive relations between Taiwan and the U.S.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=116043)