Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the afternoon of October 13, President Tsai Ing-wen met with US Congressman Joe Barton, Chairman Emeritus of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. In addition to welcoming Mr. Barton to Taiwan to take part in the ROC National Day celebrations, the president also expressed hope that Taiwan and the United States can further enhance their economic, trade, and investment relations.

In remarks, President Tsai noted that Mr. Barton has been an important supporter of Taiwan for over 30 years who on repeated occasions has urged the US executive branch to continue its arms sales to Taiwan and has firmly supported related legislative bills and resolutions in Congress. This past May, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Mr. Barton, the US House of Representatives passed House Concurrent Resolution 88, which "expresses the sense of Congress that the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances together form the cornerstone of U.S. relations with Taiwan." This was of deep significance to Taiwan, she said, because it was the first time that the US Congress had included the Six Assurances in such a resolution.

President Tsai also mentioned that during last week's US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, the two sides engaged in wide-ranging discussions regarding bilateral defense industry cooperation. She called on the US to continue selling defensive arms to Taiwan and strengthening bilateral security exchanges and cooperation, as provided for in the Taiwan Relations Act. Turning to the topic of Taiwan's international participation, the president noted that the US Congress in recent years has passed numerous legislative bills supporting Taiwan, and Mr. Barton voted in favor of granting observer status for Taiwan in the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). She expressed gratitude for his friendly attitude toward Taiwan.

Commenting on Taiwan-US economic and trade relations, President Tsai noted that the two countries have very close ties in this area. In 2015, Taiwan was the ninth-largest trading partner of the US, while the US was the second-largest trading partner of Taiwan. Mr. Barton comes from Texas, where Taiwan maintains close relations in economy and trade. Taiwan is short on natural resources, while Texas is rich in petroleum and natural gas, so the president expressed hope that the two sides will further cooperate in this area.