Before I begin, I would like to thank a special senior here today. Our honorary chair of the Southern California Taiwanese Seniors Association, Ms. Huang Tsai Jui Yun (黃蔡瑞雲), she is 103 years old and last year when I was in Los Angeles, she came to my banquet to cheer me on.
Not only that, on January 16, Ms. Huang Tsai took a plane back to Taiwan upon her doctor's approval just to vote. I would like to thank her for her support and contribution to Taiwan and for attending tonight's event again to support and cheer me on. Thank you, Ms. Huang Tsai.
Chairman Ed Royce of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Xavier Becerra of the House Democratic Caucus, Congressman Brad Sherman, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congressman Scott Peters, Congressman Ted Lieu, Congresswoman Norma Torres, friends from the California State Assembly, AIT Chairman Ray Burghardt, leaders from our expatriate community in Southern California, members of my delegation including National Security Council Secretary General Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee, Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Wu, and seven of our legislators, distinguished guests, folks, this is indeed an august gathering tonight. Good evening everyone.
Tonight, I would like to start off by saying a few words in English.
We are honored to be joined by our friends from Congress, Ed Royce, Xavier Becerra, Brad Sherman, Judy Chu, Scott Peters, Ted Lieu, and Norma Torres. They are staunch allies of Taiwan on Capitol Hill, and have tirelessly supported Taiwan over many years.
With their support, two months ago, the House of Representatives passed a resolution affirming the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as cornerstones of US-Taiwan relations. This important piece of legislation will continue to guarantee the security of Taiwan for years to come.
For this, the people of Taiwan thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Could we please ask our Congressmen and women to stand up so that we can give them a big round of applause?
In the future, we hope that they will continue to speak up for Taiwan in Congress by supporting legislation that furthers the unique and multifaceted friendship between Taiwan and the United States.
Taiwan also enjoys very close ties with the State of California. Last July, the California State Legislature passed a Concurrent Resolution celebrating Taiwanese American Heritage Week and recognizing the common ideals shared by the United States and Taiwan. The resolution declared that we should continue to grow the "warm relations and bilateral exchanges between the people of California and Taiwan", and recognized "the profound importance of Taiwanese-Americans to California."
Indeed, that importance is exemplified by many of those with us here tonight. Taiwanese-Americans have contributed immensely to American society, while never losing pride in their roots, culture, and heritage. Through their efforts, Taiwan and the United States have come closer together.
I am also thrilled to see that California State Assembly Members Cristina Garcia, Ling Ling Chang and Young Kim have joined us tonight, along with other elected officials and representatives from this great state. They had played crucial roles behind the concurrent resolution, and many of them have visited Taiwan in the past year at the invitation of our government.
On behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, I sincerely thank you for your friendship and support. I am determined to work with all of you to ensure that the bright light of our friendship can never be diminished. Thank you.
Before I arrived here, everyone said to me that tonight's Los Angeles banquet would be packed, and that there may not be room for people to sit. Being here now and seeing so many friends that care about and support Taiwan, I have only one thing to say to you all, and that is thank you. I remember that at the May 21 reception in Taipei for overseas compatriots I mentioned two things that I hoped everyone could work on together. The first is Taiwan's diplomacy.
During this trip abroad, every overseas compatriot banquet was packed, whether it was in Miami, Panama, Paraguay, or Los Angeles. It warms my heart to see everyone still care so much about Taiwan while abroad. I feel so warm and am touched by this kindness. The second matter that I mentioned at the reception was for all the Taiwanese abroad to nurture and encourage the next generation to participate 5 in overseas community affairs and to continue to strive for Taiwan.
On behalf of our country, I would like to say thank you. Your second generation has taken part in Taiwan's public affairs. In our expatriate communities, one generation of expatriates after another keeps emerging to work for Taiwan. We truly thank our good friends in the expatriate community for what you have done for Taiwan. We in Taiwan are aware of and feel your love and passion for Taiwan. Thank you.
The last time I was in Los Angeles was about a year ago. At that time, I was still a presidential candidate. However, my status is different today and my responsibilities greater, because I am now the president, representing Taiwan. A president has many responsibilities, and many important reforms to push through. Over this past month, we have launched many of those difficult reforms.
Those of you abroad may be very anxious to see results but I must say that patience is needed. Reforms take time and effort, and can't be achieved overnight. Believe in me. I will lead Taiwan forward one step at a time. I will be unwavering and firm in purpose. In both domestic reforms and diplomatic work, I will maintain a steadfast determination and a serious commitment in facing all the challenges that lie ahead. To do any less would be to let down the hopes of the 23 million people of Taiwan.
This last transit stop in Los Angeles marks the conclusion of my trip abroad. Our delegation has been treated with wonderful hospitality by the national government at each stop along the way, be it Miami, Panama, Paraguay, or Los Angeles, and Taiwanese expatriates have traveled great distances to greet us, which has been truly gratifying. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the delegation members, staff, and overseas diplomats for all their hard work.
I know that many of them stayed up late to hold meetings after each day ended just to make sure that this trip goes smoothly. Many did not rest until 1 or 2 o'clock at night only to wake up again at 6 the next morning. Many of them have dark circles under their eyes. Some have lost weight because they could not sit down to finish a proper meal and some have gained weight because they could only eat between busy schedules and snack late at night. It pains me to see this. Without them, this trip would not have been so smooth. Let us give a big round of applause to all of the staff out on the first line of diplomatic work.
This trip was very successful. We met during the trip for bilateral talks with leaders from seven diplomatic allies, and also communicated and exchanged views either in person or over the telephone with over 20 US Congress members and other political leaders. During the inauguration for the Panama Canal Expansion, I also had contact with leaders and emissaries from many countries with which we do not have diplomatic ties.
In Panama, I stood together on stage with many other leaders to greet the world and celebrate the expansion of the canal. I said to the President of Panama that I felt as if I was attending a wedding or celebration with family living far away, my heart filled with blessings and anticipation.
In Paraguay, we were warmly received by President Cartes, and during talks we reached further consensus on a new model for diplomatic cooperation based on "mutual benefits and mutual assistance." President Cartes told me that our two countries ought to take advantage of the complementary nature of our resources to cooperate to our mutual benefits, and jointly push for reform and development so that Taiwan and Paraguay can each become an extension of the other's strengths. President Cartes also said: "Your country is bigger than you imagine."
In these two countries, I thought about several things. While at the Panama Canal, I kept thinking: "What sort of infrastructure can we leave behind that would continue to be an asset to future generations a century from now?" And in Paraguay, President Cartes and I talked about what sort of diplomatic thinking is needed in today's new age, in order to change the old way of implementing one-way projects, and instead initiate closer two-way cooperation to get in step with the times. President Cartes also said that Taiwan has provided a great deal of aid to Paraguay in the past, but in today's new age he sees a need to strengthen diplomatic ties by engaging in cooperation projects that are beneficial to both sides. It was very encouraging to hear these ideas. I am really happy to see that our diplomatic allies want to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with Taiwan, instead of simply receiving our aid.
I want to thank these two diplomatic allies, Panama and Paraguay. I'd also like to reiterate here that "steadfast diplomacy" emphasizes that we come out to personally observe and experience bilateral relations and then work together in earnest with our friends towards common goals through sharing, learning, and cooperating together. This is the attitude that we will insist upon and work towards in our diplomatic work in the future.
Finally, I would like to share some concluding thoughts on the current state of our relationship with the US.
I would like to thank the U.S. administration for facilitating our transit stops in Miami and Los Angles, based on the principles of safety, convenience, comfort, and respect. I highly cherish the opportunities to visit our friends here in the U.S. and speak with our oversea Taiwanese communities.
Over the years, we've seen the relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. grow and mature. The Taiwan Caucus is the largest country caucus in the House of Representatives, representing the broad, bilateral support Taiwan has in Congress. Taiwan is also engaged in a wide range of cooperation projects with the U.S. that strengthen our international space, diversify our economy, and create lasting contributions to the international community.
Together with the support of everyone here, I am determined to carry that torch forward.
In closing, I would like to wish the best of health and happiness to you all and I look forward to seeing you again soon. Thank you.