Tsai receives CSIS delegation, pledges to expand Taiwan-US ties

2022/12/16

President Tsai Ing-wen said Dec. 14 that the government will continue to strengthen strategic cooperation and exchanges with the U.S. to build more secure and resilient supply chains.
 
The president made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The group is led by James Steinberg, dean of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
 
According to the president, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific are key to upholding the international order. Standing on the front line of authoritarian expansion, Taiwan is fully committed to working with allies and like-minded partners to defend shared values and the democratic way of life, she added.
 
Tsai thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for his recent announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan, adding that the seventh such deal since Biden took office last year represents another concrete action supporting Taiwan’s enhancement of self-defense capabilities.
 
Equally important, the president said she hoped to see the two sides continue to bolster cooperation through the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and other frameworks for the benefit of the people on both sides.
 
The first visit by CSIS since the outbreak of COVID-19 further demonstrated the rock-solid friendship between Taiwan and the U.S., Tsai said, adding that she expects the positive development to contribute to the deepening of two-way ties.
 
In response, Steinberg expressed his admiration for the courage and resilience shown by the Taiwan people in tackling daunting challenges in recent years. He said the ever-closer ties between the two sides derive from common values and commitments to democracy and an open society.
 
Members of the CSIS delegation are taking the opportunity to better understand Taiwan and seeking ways to manage challenges together, he added. 


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