President Tsai receives delegation from U.S. Brookings Institution
2023/08/17
President Tsai Ing-wen said Aug. 15 that Taiwan will continue to enhance its defense capabilities and work with the U.S. and other democracies to safeguard the values of freedom and democracy while promoting regional development and prosperity.
Tsai made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the Washington D.C.-based think tank Brookings Institution at the Presidential Office in Taipei City.
The institution is renowned for research on East Asian countries’ relations, with work on the cross-strait status quo highly regarded worldwide, Tsai said. Its recommendations on Taiwan’s security and the Taiwan-U.S. relationship have strengthened the two countries’ cooperation and raised international awareness on the importance of security across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region, she added.
Taiwan plays a key role in global supply chains due to its high-tech and semiconductor industries, Tsai said, adding that facing authoritarian expansion, democracies must work together closely to build secure and resilient supply chains.
According to Tsai, the first agreement signed under the Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in June marks a milestone in bilateral economic ties. She added that she hopes a further avoidance of double taxation agreement will follow and bolster collaboration in areas spanning digital trade and technology.
In response, Ryan Hass, director of the institution’s John L. Thornton China Center and the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies, said the two sides are bound together by shared values. The visit aims to foster a deeper understanding of the opportunities and obstacles involved in strengthening Taiwan-U.S. technology cooperation and Taiwan’s perspectives on continuing to grow the bilateral partnership, he added.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)