President Tsai meets Global Taiwan Institute delegation
On the morning of March 22, President Tsai Ing-wen met at her official residence with a delegation from the Global Taiwan Institute (GTI). In remarks, President Tsai pointed out that Taiwan will keep working with like-minded partners, and the goal of advancing international development and prosperity has never changed. The president said that next month will mark the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, and that she believes Taiwan-US relations will continue to flourish as our partnership generates even more fruitful results. President Tsai stated that she looks forward to Taiwan-US collaboration continuing to deepen in such areas as supply chain security, the digital economy, emerging technologies, and information and communications security. Together, she said, we will be a force for good in the world.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
It is always a pleasure to welcome visiting groups from GTI. Founded by Taiwanese Americans, GTI is the first think tank in Washington, DC to be dedicated to research on Taiwan. I would like to take this opportunity to thank GTI for the support it has given us since its establishment in 2016. Over the past eight years, we have jointly witnessed the progress that has been made in Taiwan-US relations.
April 10 will mark the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. Our guests today represent a new and young generation of supporters of Taiwan in the United States. With your backing, I believe that Taiwan-US relations will continue to flourish as our partnership generates even more fruitful results.
I fondly remember addressing the GTI Annual Symposium via video two years ago. Back then, I said that Taiwan would keep working with like-minded partners to advance international development and prosperity. This has never ceased to be my goal.
Over the past few years, we have striven to maintain the peaceful and stable development of the Indo-Pacific region. We have continued to increase our national defense budget and strengthen our asymmetric defense capabilities. At the same time, faced with emerging challenges in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, we have invested heavily in cybersecurity infrastructure and talent development. We are actively countering disinformation and other cognitive warfare tactics, and sharing our experiences with democracies around the world.
We thank the US and other like-minded countries in Europe and Asia for consistently calling for the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait at various international venues. This has focused global attention on Taiwan. Taiwan-US relations have made great strides in recent years. The first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade was signed last year, marking a new milestone in our bilateral economic and trade relations.
Last month, we also signed an MOU on international development cooperation. We look forward to Taiwan-US collaboration continuing to deepen in such areas as supply chain security, the digital economy, emerging technologies, and information and communications security. Together, we will be a force for good in the world.
Your visit further solidifies the foundations for exchanges between Taiwan and the US. Once again, welcome to Taiwan. I wish you a fruitful and successful trip.
GTI Executive Director Russell Hsiao (蕭良其) then delivered remarks, saying that it's an incredible honor for his delegation to be received by President Tsai. Indicating that the delegation has assembled to engage with experts and government officials in Taiwan, he stated that the achievements of President Tsai's administration over the past eight years have been truly remarkable.
Executive Director Hsiao then expressed his deepest gratitude on behalf of GTI for President Tsai's steadfast support for the organization since its establishment in 2016. From meeting prior GTI delegations to speaking at their symposium, he said, the president's continued support for GTI is a strong testament to the enduring qualities of the Taiwan-US partnership.
The executive director went on to say that his delegation is here in Taiwan at a very pivotal period of time. It is a period of political transitions and of geopolitical flux, he said, with wars raging in Eastern Europe from Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, and in the Middle East from Hamas's vicious attack on Israel and the subsequent retaliations that are ongoing. However, he said, perhaps no more profound, systemic challenge does the world face than that of the People's Republic of China.
Executive Director Hsiao stated that in the face of this fundamental challenge to the existing world order, President Tsai's administration has navigated very difficult terrain in ways that have earned the respect and admiration of the international community. He said that the honor to be able to exchange views with President Tsai and her cabinet officials will only help to deepen understanding of the vision she has for the future of Taiwan, as well as the legacy that she wishes to impart on future generations of leaders. In this way, the executive director said, we may be able to continue to maintain freedom and democracy in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the broader region as a whole.
Executive Director Hsiao concluded his remarks by stating that his delegation is present to express their support for President Tsai, for Taiwan, and for the enduring Taiwan-US partnership.