President Tsai meets Center for American Progress delegation
On the morning of November 14, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation from the Center for American Progress (CAP), a think tank based in Washington, DC. In remarks, President Tsai expressed hope that, despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, democracies can draw on their respective strengths to build more secure and resilient supply chains. The president said that Taiwan will continue to use our existing platforms for dialogue to further deepen cooperation with the United States and will work with the US to maintain a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
I warmly welcome former Senator and CAP Chair Tom Daschle and his delegation to Taiwan. It has been three years since your last visit, making this meeting particularly significant. CAP is one of the most influential public policy think tanks in the US, and its policy recommendations on a wide range of issues are highly regarded by the US government. We hope to continue to cooperate with CAP on Taiwan-US relations and policy issues in the future.
Here, I would like to thank Chair Daschle for his longstanding support for Taiwan. I also want to congratulate you on becoming Chair of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) board of directors this past April. We will continue to cooperate closely with the NDI and exchange experiences in practicing democracy. We hope our collaboration will encourage more international partners to join us in strengthening our commitment to global democratic development.
Taiwan and the US have long been firm partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. We thank the Biden administration for approving six military sales to Taiwan and for conducting freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait. As Taiwan stands on the frontline of the defense against authoritarian expansion, we will continue to strengthen our national defense capabilities and resolutely uphold regional peace and stability.
Faced with the challenges brought on by the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we hope the world's democracies can draw on their respective strengths to build more secure and resilient supply chains. Just a few days ago, the first round of talks under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade concluded. Going forward, Taiwan and the US will convene more meetings to promote cooperation in trade.
Taiwan will also continue to comprehensively deepen our cooperation with the US through other existing mechanisms for dialogue, such as the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue (EPPD), and the Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration (TTIC) framework. And we will work with the US to maintain a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region.
On this trip, your delegation will also exchange views with our government agencies, private sector, and civil society organizations on issues including pandemic responses, energy transition, and information security. I hope your visit goes smoothly and wish you every success. I look forward to continuing to strengthen the Taiwan-US relationship. Thank you.
Chair Daschle then delivered remarks and thanked President Tsai for accommodating their meeting and for her kind welcome. He mentioned that as democracies, our two countries are facing challenges associated with elections over the past week and this month, with an election having just recently taken place in the US and one about to take place in Taiwan. It is a reminder, he said, of the critical importance of democracies like ours working together to achieve the highest quality of governance.
Chair Daschle stated with confidence that in the more than four decades since the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act, the US-Taiwan relationship has never been stronger, with bilateral ties stronger today perhaps than at any other time over the last 40 years.
The former senator said that one of the reasons for our steadfast ties is the great appreciation and admiration the US has for Taiwan's democratic development over these four decades. As there is concern about the quality of democracy in the US, Chair Daschle said that people there now have an even greater appreciation of what it takes to build and to maintain a strong democracy, whether it be in Taiwan or the US.
Chair Daschle thanked the president for mentioning the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and expressed his sadness at the passing of former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. He added that shortly before the former secretary's death, they decided to create a presence in Taiwan, establishing an office in Taiwan with the hope that NDI can continue to expand here, as Taiwan is a center for democracy in the Indo-Pacific region.
The former senator stated that the strength of democracy is reliant on the strength of national security, and that over the course of the last few years, they have gained an even greater appreciation of the importance of security for both Taiwan and the US.
He mentioned that Republicans and Democrats in Washington, DC, the US administration, and Congress, all fully recognize the importance of ensuring security in this region, and that this will surely be a topic of discussion for US President Joe Biden at the G20 that day and for the CAP delegation as they continue their meetings in Taiwan this week.
Aside from democracy and security, Chair Daschle emphasized the strength of our economies and opportunities for economic growth. The former senator said that with Taiwan as the US's eighth largest trading partner, they hope that the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade can continue to progress, and that we can develop other areas for greater cooperation going forward. He added that our trade relationship is vital to the US, as it is not only an economic issue, but a security issue.
Chair Daschle also complimented Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on the Taiwan Expo that took place in Washington, DC last month, and said that he was impressed that so many people attended the event, which was a great success. He also paid tribute to Representative to the US Bi-khim Hsiao (蕭美琴) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States for the great work they are doing in the US.
Chair Daschle reiterated his confidence that the US, whether represented by Republicans or Democrats, a Biden administration or any other administration, wants to work even more closely with the people and government of Taiwan to ensure a secure economic future in the months and years ahead.
Also present at the meeting were former US Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, US Global Leadership Coalition President Liz Schrayer, CAP Senior Vice President Alan Yu, and Senior Fellow Trevor Sutton.