President Tsai meets delegation from National Committee on American Foreign Policy
On the morning of December 7, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a visiting delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP). She stated that Taiwan will continue to work with the United States to maintain regional peace and stability, and expressed hope for deeper and closer Taiwan-US relations.
In remarks, the president said she was very happy to see so many friends, some of whom she has known for a long time. She specially mentioned Mr. Raymond Burghardt, former Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, whom she met when transiting through Hawaii last month, and Ralph Cossa, President of the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
President Tsai thanked the guests for their long-term support for Taiwan-US relations. She added that Taiwan has always been a proactive participant in regional affairs, and hopes to work with neighboring countries to maintain regional peace and prosperity.
The president pointed out that the administrative team in Taiwan has worked hard over the past year to build mutually beneficial relations with like-minded countries and neighbors. Since the launch of the New Southbound Policy last year, Taiwan has seen a significant increase in regional trade, tourism, and private-sector exchanges.
President Tsai also said that the government has continued its efforts to reform the military and strengthen national defense. Last week, Taiwan's fleet of S-2T anti-submarine aircraft was retired from service, and replaced by the P-3C anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft. The P-3C fleet strengthens national defense, and can protect the country against the threat of submarines. In addition, progress toward domestic manufacture of advanced training aircraft has been very smooth.
President Tsai emphasized that Taiwan will continue to work with the United States to maintain regional peace and stability. She also thanked the Trump administration for its June announcement of arms sales to Taiwan, thus demonstrating support for the Taiwan Relations Act. To further strengthen Taiwan's national defense, Taiwan will increase the defense budget to fund major weapons purchases.
Finally, the president said she is confident that everyone can see Taiwan's efforts as a dependable partner and responsible member of international society. She said she looks forward to hearing her guests' observations about Taiwan-US relations in the wake of President Trump's Asia trip last month. It will be beneficial, she stated, to have everyone discussing how to achieve deeper and closer bilateral relations.
Other guests in the group included Mr. Michael McDevitt, Senior Fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses; Mr. Evans Revere, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution; and Ms. Rorry Daniels, Associate Project Director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security at the NCAFP.