President Tsai receives 8th US congressional delegation this year

2022/10/14

President Tsai Ing-wen said Oct. 12 that Taiwan is committed to deepening cooperation with the U.S. and other democratic partners to maintain regional and global peace and stability.
 
Tsai made the remarks while receiving a U.S. House delegation at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The group comprised Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Reps. Brad Wenstrup, Kai Kahele, Michael Waltz and Seth Moulton.
 
The delegation is the eighth U.S. congressional group to visit Taiwan this year, Tsai said. The fact that the group still visited despite China’s military exercises in August is a visible assurance of strong U.S. support for Taiwan.
 
Tsai said Taiwan and the U.S. are important economic and security partners and thanked group members for speaking up for Taiwan to procure U.S. vaccine donations, in advocation of the National Defense Authorization Act and for other bills favorable to the country.
 
In addition to the launch of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, signing of an avoidance of double taxation agreement is anticipated to create a more investment-friendly environment for the two sides, Tsai added.
 
In response, Rep. Johnson said Taiwan is a beacon of democracy in Asia and a vital trading partner for the U.S. and its allies around the world. Texas and Taiwan share longstanding relationships based on trade, investment and tourism, she said, citing the US$5 billion investment by the country’s silicon wafer manufacturer GlobalWafers Co. Ltd. to set up a plant in the town of Sherman, which is expected to generate 1,500 job opportunities.
 
The Taiwan Preclearance Act promoting the inclusion of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Preclearance program introduced last year will further encourage growth and travel between the two sides, Johnson said. She also welcomed a science and technology agreement inked by Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. and American Institute in Taiwan in 2020.
 
Following Johnson’s remarks, Rep. Moulton added that the two sides’ relationship is founded upon shared values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. The group members are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people of Taiwan, he added.


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