MOFA expresses gratitude to US Senate for passing Taiwan Travel Act

2018/03/05

The unanimous passage of the Taiwan Travel Act by the U.S. Senate is deeply appreciated by the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said March 1.
 
 According to the MOFA, the legislation promoting high-level exchanges underscores strong bipartisan support in Washington for enhancing the robust ties between the two sides.
 
 MOFA spokesman Andrew H. C. Lee said that Taiwan is committed to expanding substantive cooperation with the U.S. based on the shared values of freedom, democracy and human rights.
 
 Taiwan-U.S. ties are going from strength to strength, as evidenced by the success of collaborative mechanisms such as the SelectUSA Investment Summit, Trade and Investment Framework Agreement and Taiwan-U.S. Digital Economy Forum, Lee added.
 
 Both sides enjoy a mutually beneficial economic relationship, he said, noting that Taiwan was the U.S.’s 11th largest trading partner and the U.S. was Taiwan’s second largest trading partner in 2017.
 
 President Tsai Ing-wen the same day also thanked the U.S. Congress for its longstanding support of Taiwan in a tweet on her official Twitter account. The Taiwan-U.S. partnership is a key pillar of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, she said.
 
 The Taiwan Travel Act was passed by the U.S. Senate Feb. 28 and the U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 9, and awaits U.S. President Donald Trump’s signature to become law. It states that it should be the policy of the U.S. to authorize officials at all levels to visit 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.
 
 The bill further states that it should be the policy of the U.S. government to encourage the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S., and any other body established by Taiwan, to conduct business in the U.S. This includes activities involving participation by members of the U.S. Congress, officials of federal, state or local governments of the U.S. or any high-level Taiwan official.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=130250)