President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of July 17 bestowed the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taipei Office Director William A. Stanton, who will soon conclude his tenure and retire, in recognition and gratitude of Director Stanton's contributions to fostering substantive relations between Taiwan and the United States. The president also presented Director Stanton with a specially made EasyCard that has the director's picture on it, for welcoming him to teach here after his retirement.
After the conclusion of the ceremony, the president stated that over the past several years the government has embraced the principle of "low key, no surprises" in promoting Taiwan-US relations. This has helped to restore mutual trust at the highest levels, he said, pointing out that bilateral relations are presently at the most stable they have been in decades. For instance, the US government has on two occasions consented to sell defensive weapons to Taiwan, with the two packages worth an aggregate US$12 billion. This is significantly bolstering the cooperative relationship between the two sides in the area of security, he said. In addition, the president stated that last year the United States designated Taiwan as a candidate nation to be included in the US Visa Waiver Program. Meanwhile, high-ranking US government officials have been making visits to Taiwan, including United States Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah and Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. Furthermore, the president noted, leading universities from Taiwan and the United States have established exchange programs under which Ph.D. and post-doctorate students head to participating schools in the United States to engage in advanced studies. President Ma stated that the AIT's Taipei Office has also held large-scale exhibitions in recent years, including "American Footsteps in Taiwan: 1950 – 1980" and "Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the United States." These displays have also been held in cities and counties outside of Taipei, helping to bridge the distance between the peoples of the two countries, the president said.
The president mentioned that Director Stanton frequently takes advantage of his spare time to travel throughout Taiwan, and he has visited more places on Taiwan than any of his predecessors. President Ma also mentioned that Director Stanton is also the only retiring US representative to the ROC that has decided to stay here after completing his tenure. This shows Director Stanton's deep fondness for Taiwan, he said. President Ma commented that Director Stanton will remain here to teach at the high school level, and he believed that quite a few local universities would warmly welcome Director Stanton to teach courses on English and American literature and Taiwan-US relations.
Lastly, the president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, reiterated his gratitude to Director Stanton for his contributions. He also expressed his hopes that Director Stanton will continue to provide the government with his valuable suggestions and that the friendship between the two will be everlasting.
After receiving the honor, Director Stanton commented that as a member of the diplomatic corps, he is extremely pleased to promote things such as the negotiation and signing of free trade agreements between the United States and other countries, granting of visa-free treatment, security agreements, and cooperation and exchanges in the area of science. In addition, he said, he strives to promote relations between the United States and its allies and partners, thereby promoting closer bilateral cooperation. He commented that the work he has carried out while in his post here has been no different. The director stated that Taiwan is home to many amazing people, some of whom are famous and others are not as famous. Taiwan, he said, has become his second most beloved nation. Even though Taiwan-US relations in the past have faced a number of hurdles, the people of Taiwan have always embraced an open mind and maintained a warm and optimistic attitude. This is what many of his colleagues who leave Taiwan miss the most, he said.
In concluding his remarks, Director Stanton stressed that he welcomes the considerable progress in Taiwan-US relations and hopes that in the future cooperation between the two sides will be even closer, enabling bilateral relations to reach new milestones.
The ceremony was held at the Presidential Office at 11:30 a.m. Among those in attendance were Secretary-General to the President Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真), Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添), Cathay Charity Foundation Chairman Fredrick Chien (錢復), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. Chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) and Mrs. Chang, and AIT Taipei Office Deputy Director Eric Madison.