Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Tsai Ing-wen met on the afternoon of August 23 with a delegation led by US Congressmen Robert Pittenger and Randy Hultgren. The president expressed her gratitude to both congressmen for their long-term support for Taiwan, as well as her hope that Taiwan and the US will have even closer relations and more substantive interaction in the future.

In remarks, President Tsai first thanked both congressmen for their support for Taiwan on various issues. They recently voted in favor of legislation supporting Taiwan to obtain observer status in the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) – a concrete action that helps us expand our participation in international organizations, and a very touching act of friendship.

The president then turned to economic and trade relations, stating that Taiwan and the US have always been closely connected, and that Taiwan will be actively seeking to participate in round two of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. A smooth path to accession, she said, would help take Taiwan-US economic and trade relations to the next level. As Taiwan is currently facing many economic challenges, the president stated that Taiwan-US relations are particularly important, and she hopes there will be more exchanges regarding economic and trade cooperation in the future.

President Tsai also mentioned that Taiwan is actively harmonizing domestic economic and trade practices with international standards. In addition to signing bilateral free trade agreements, the government has also passed guidelines for our New Southbound Policy, which seeks to enhance economic connectivity between Taiwan and the countries in ASEAN and South Asia. Through mutually beneficial two-way exchanges in trade, investment and culture, Taiwan will be able to broaden its development horizons and raise its overall competitiveness.