President Tsai meets Matthew J. Matthews, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and Senior Official for APEC
President Tsai Ing-wen met on the afternoon of June 17 with Ambassador Matthew J. Matthews, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and Senior Official for APEC. In addition to extending a warm welcome to her guests, the president reiterated the Taiwan government's firm intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and expressed hope that the US can lend concrete support for Taiwan's inclusion in second-round TPP negotiations.
In remarks, President Tsai noted that, after visiting Taiwan in November of last year, Ambassador Matthews has come again, this time to attend the Conference on Energy Efficiency in Asia, an event organized under the Taiwan-US Global Cooperation and Training Framework. Ambassador Matthews has deep ties to Taiwan, she said, having been stationed here twice.
Commenting on Taiwan-US relations, President Tsai pointed out that the US is Taiwan's most important partner, and that the two countries maintain close cooperative ties in the areas of politics, security, economics, trade, and culture. This year, Taiwan has seen visits from the US Department of State's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs Kurt Tong as well as the US Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry & Analysis Marcus Jadotte. And Taiwan is once again dispatching a major delegation to take part in the SelectUSA Investment Summit, set to take place next week in Washington, DC. These facts show that economic and trade ties between Taiwan and the US are very close.
President Tsai reiterated that Taiwan strongly hopes and needs to join the TPP. Trade between Taiwan and the 12 current members of the TPP accounts for roughly 37% of Taiwan's total external trade, so joining the TPP will help enhance Taiwan's international trade competitiveness. The president expressed hope that the US will take concrete action to help Taiwan take part in second-round TPP negotiations so that Taiwan can achieve its goal of joining the TPP.
President Tsai stressed that, beyond their strategic partnership and their close economic and trade ties, the deep friendship between Taiwan and the US is of utmost importance. Mutual trust and friendship between the two countries, she explained, is the true foundation of bilateral relations.
The president closed by once again welcoming Ambassador Matthews to Taiwan, and voiced hope for continued progress in Taiwan-US relations.
Also present at the meeting was Deputy Director Robert W. Forden of the American Institute in Taiwan.