President Lee Teng-hui met with US Congressman Solomon Ortiz and his delegation today, the first day of work after the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.
Following traditional Chinese custom, the President first offered Lunar New Year greetings to his guests; he wished them a Happy New Year. The visiting US congressional delegation said that they are honored to be the first group visiting President Lee after the holidays, and that they have deeply felt the festive atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
During the meeting, Rep. Ortiz presented President Lee a letter signed by US Congressmen of Spanish descent, that expressed support and recognition of President Lee's commitment to democratic reform.
Upon receiving the letter, President Lee expressed his appreciation to the ROC's supporters in the US Congress. He maintained that the ROC's long-term pursuit of democratic reform and economic liberalization has become a beacon of U.S. idealism. For more than 400 years, residents in Taiwan, regardless of the time of their arrival, have been pursuing the ideals of freedom and democracy, and the concept of "new Taiwanese" has become their common identity, the President elaborated.
On ROC-US relations, President Lee pointed out that though small in land area, Taiwan is a market with great potential, and the ROC welcomes investments from US high-technology industries. On the other hand, the ROC government has also encouraged local businesses to invest in Europe and the United States, so as to help reduce their production costs and to promote our bilateral economic and trade relations, he added.
As the Taiwan Relations Act is approaching its 20th anniversary, Rep. Ortiz said that he is heartened by and will continue his support for the stable development of ROC-US relations. President Lee particularly indicated that Taiwan's geographic location is of vital strategic importance in Asia, that the ROC has consistently supported Washington's Asia policy, and that the two countries should strengthen their substantive relations in the future, in order to achieve their goals of mutual benefit and prosperity.
Accompanied by Vice Foreign Minister David Tawei Lee, the visiting delegation met with President Lee at the Presidential Office this morning. Ding Mou-shih, Senior Advisor to the President, was also present. Members of the delegation included Rep. and Mrs. Howard "Buck" McKeon and Rep. and Mrs. Silvestre Reyes.