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President Tsai Ing-wen met today with a delegation focusing on democracy and security from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a Washington-based think tank. The president stated that the stable development of Taiwan-US relations is an indispensable cornerstone for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and that the two countries will continue to create a cooperative and win-win situation based on mutual assistance for mutual benefits.
In remarks, President Tsai said that Taiwan has long counted many AEI scholars and experts as good friends. She had visited the AEI in 2011 and was pleased when former Ambassador John Bolton (a former Senior Fellow at AEI) was named White House National Security Advisor.
The president stated that both in the past and in the present, the US has remained an important and dependable partner for Taiwan. Based on shared democratic values and close cooperation in politics, security, economics, and culture, she said, Taiwan and the US should continue to strengthen their strategic partnership.
President Tsai pointed out that over the past year or so, the Taiwan-US relationship has yielded many positive developments. Two events were especially gratifying. One was when President Donald Trump announced an arms sale package to Taiwan. The other was when the first National Security Strategy statement of his administration reaffirmed the US security commitment to Taiwan in the Taiwan Relations Act. President Tsai noted that a few days ago, the US State Department also announced approval of a marketing license for Taiwan's indigenous submarine program. That will contribute to Taiwan's self-defense capabilities, and also be a big help in maintaining the status quo of peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait, she said.
The president then mentioned that Taiwan-US cooperation isn't just limited to national defense, as the two countries are also active partners in economics and trade and continue to promote both the SelectUSA Investment Summit and Taiwan's Agricultural Goodwill Trade Mission.
President Tsai emphasized again that Taiwan and the US share strategic interests, which makes stable development of Taiwan-US relations an indispensable cornerstone for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan remains committed to maintaining regional peace and stability.
Last month the Taiwan Travel Act became law, and the president expressed confidence that the Taiwan-US relationship will continue to grow closer. Taiwan will continue to maintain close contact with the US government to create a cooperative, win-win situation based on mutual assistance for mutual benefits. She then expressed hope that AEI Senior Vice President Danielle Pletka and all of her visitors, who have long supported Taiwan, will continue to give Taiwan their valuable help and suggestions.
The guests also included Mr. Gary J. Schmitt, the co-director of the Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies at AEI.
