President Tsai meets delegation from Brookings Institution
President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation from the Brookings Institution on the afternoon of June 18. She expressed hope that both Taiwan and the United States will uphold the spirit of mutual assistance for mutual benefits, continue to make progress, and enhance the wellbeing of people in both countries.
In remarks, President Tsai first welcomed the delegation to the Presidential Office, and stated that she was delighted to receive delegations from the Brookings Institution two weeks in a row. She mentioned that she had just met with Dr. Richard Bush last week, and extended a warm welcome to General John Allen, who last visited 15 years ago. This was General Allen's first time leading a delegation to Taiwan as president of the Brookings Institution, she added.
The president thanked General Allen for his instrumental role in helping Taiwan join the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, adding that, over the past few years, we have continued to provide humanitarian aid to Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and contribute to regional stability.
President Tsai mentioned that the delegation was in Taiwan to participate in the first conference hosted in Asia for the Brookings Institution's newly launched “Sustaining the East Asian Peace” project held the previous day.
The president pointed out that the Brookings Institution is one of the top think tanks in the world, and choosing to launch the Institution's new research project in Taiwan demonstrates our importance in sustaining regional peace and stability. Her administration is working toward that same goal, she added, so she was delighted to hear that the conference was a great success.
President Tsai stressed that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, and Taiwan-US relations have entered a new stage. Over the past three years, she added, we have continuously strengthened relations, with closer cooperation in many areas including national defense, security, economics, trade, technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
The president further explained that this month, we witnessed a milestone in Taiwan-US relations when the Coordination Council for North American Affairs was renamed the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs. That name change shows that our relationship is progressing with the times, and reflects new realities. She expressed hope that both Taiwan and the United States will uphold the spirit of mutual assistance for mutual benefits, continue to make progress, and enhance the wellbeing of people in both countries.
The president remarked that the Taiwan-US partnership is also a powerful force in maintaining regional stability as part of the Free & Open Indo-Pacific strategy. Under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), Taiwan and the United States have held 19 capacity-building workshops for countries in the Indo-Pacific region. She expressed her delight that Japan joined the Framework this year, and jointly organized multinational workshops. In the future, she said, we hope to see more like-minded countries participate.
In closing, President Tsai expressed hope that the delegation members' strong support will promote even more exchanges and cooperation in the future.