President Tsai reiterates firm commitment to US ties

2019/11/04

President Tsai Ing-wen said Oct. 31 that Taiwan will continue working closely with the U.S. to further the countries’ long-term partnership as both sides celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.
 
 Ties between the two countries have gone from strength to strength under the government’s leadership, as evidenced by growing support from both the U.S. executive and legislative branches for Taiwan’s international participation, the president said.
 
 She also thanked the U.S. Senate for its recent passing of the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act of 2019 and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for passing its version of the bill.
 
 Tsai made the remarks while receiving Richard Bush, senior fellow at Brookings Institution and former chairman and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City.
 
 Bush was awarded the Grand Medal of Diplomacy the day before by Deputy Foreign Minister Hsu Szu-chien for his work advancing bilateral exchanges.
 
 According to Tsai, notable examples of recent cooperation include the joint staging in Taipei of the first Civil Society Dialogue on Securing Religious Freedom in the Indo-Pacific Region in March, first Indo-Pacific Democratic Governance Consultations in September and first Pacific Islands Dialogue earlier in October.
 
 Under the U.S. and Taiwan-founded Global Cooperation and Training Framework launched in 2015, the two sides have organized 21 workshops on issues of mutual concern, she added.
 
 In addition to enhancing understanding between like-minded partners and strengthening regional ties, Tsai said, such events demonstrate Taiwan’s long-term commitment to democracy and maintaining regional peace, prosperity and stability.
 
 At a time of global uncertainty, Taiwan will always honor its responsibility to defend democratic values while ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, she added.

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