Tsai reaffirms commitment to Taiwan-US ties

2019/11/13

President Tsai Ing-wen said Nov. 11 that Taiwan will continue enhancing cooperation with the U.S. and other like-minded partners to protect its democratic values and way of life while further contributing to the global rules-based order.
 
 Relations between Taiwan and the U.S. have gone from strength to strength recently, as evidenced by this year’s inaugural Indo-Pacific Democratic Governance Consultations and Taiwan-U.S. Pacific Islands Dialogue, the president said.
 
 Tsai 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. Such bipartisan support for the country’s international participation is greatly appreciated by the government and people, she added.
 
 The president made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy at the Presidential Office in Taipei City.
 
 Led by NCAFP President and CEO Susan Elliott, the six-member group also included Raymond Burghardt, former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Susan Thornton, former acting assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific in the U.S. Department of State.
 
 According to Tsai, 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 designed to spur regional exchanges and cooperation.
 
 Japan and Sweden have also co-sponsored several GCTF events this year, Tsai said, adding that this demonstrates how Taiwan’s efforts on promoting regional development in the Indo-Pacific are receiving global recognition.
 
 As a country on the front line of defending freedom and democracy, Taiwan will continue honoring its role as a force for good in the world, the president said.

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