President Tsai makes 2nd US stopover in Denver on Journey of Freedom...

2019/07/23

President Tsai Ing-wen made her second U.S. stopover July 20 in Denver after completing the Journey of Freedom, Democracy, Sustainability to Taiwan’s Caribbean allies Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Lucia.
 
 Upon touching down at Denver International Airport, Tsai was welcomed onboard the presidential charter by American Institute in Taiwan Chairman James F. Moriarty and Stanley Kao, head of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S.
 
 After deplaning, Tsai held discussions with U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner on arms sales to Taiwan, as well as cross-strait and regional security issues. The pair also exchanged views on the situation in Hong Kong and the challenges and effects of disinformation and misinformation.
 
 During a meeting with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Tsai was briefed on renewable energy development in the U.S. state. The pair pledged to further promote Taiwan-Colorado cultural and educational collaboration, according to the PO.
 
 Later the same day, Tsai took part in a welcome banquet with community leaders and Taiwan expatriates. Those in attendance included Polis, Gardner, Moriarty and U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn.
 
 During an address at the function, Tsai said her presidential visit to the Caribbean underscored the government’s commitment to working with the four like-minded countries in realizing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, as well as promoting regional economic growth and good governance.
 
 As authoritarian forces seek to subvert freedom, the Taiwan-U.S. partnership is more important than ever before, Tsai said, adding that the country remains a bastion of democracy in the Indo-Pacific and force for good in the world.
 
 The next day, Tsai toured the National Center for Atmospheric Research. She learned about the importance of the site as a processing and distribution hub for real-time weather data from recently launched Formosat-7/COSMIC-2, a constellation of satellites developed by Taiwan’s National Space Organization and the U.S. National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.
 
 Other highlights of the stopover included visiting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, attending a luncheon with Gardner and participating in a media gaggle with the accompanying Taiwan press corps.
 
 Prior to completing the fourth leg of the presidential trip July 19 in St. Lucia, Tsai hosted a dinner function for political leaders of the Caribbean country and staffers of the Taiwan Technical Mission and embassy, as well as their families.
 
 The visit is Tsai’s first to the Caribbean as head of state and seventh abroad since assuming office in May 2016. Accompanying officials included Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu, National Security Council Secretary-General David Tawei Lee and Secretary-General to the President Chen Chu.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)