President Tsai meets Center for Strategic and International Studies delegation
On the morning of December 14, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation of scholars and experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Noting that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region are key to upholding the international order, President Tsai thanked the Biden administration for recently announcing another military sale to Taiwan, the seventh since President Biden took office, and for taking concrete action to support Taiwan in enhancing its self-defense capabilities. The president also expressed hope that Taiwan and the United States can comprehensively deepen cooperation, create further opportunities for exchange, and jointly build more secure and resilient supply chains.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
Welcome to the Presidential Office. This is the first visit by a delegation from CSIS since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your presence contributes to the deepening of Taiwan-US relations and is another demonstration of our rock-solid friendship.
As one of the preeminent think tanks in Washington, DC, CSIS has long paid close attention to international and regional developments, and has also maintained close exchanges with Taiwan. Indeed, the guests here today are close and longtime friends of Taiwan.
At the request of President [Joe] Biden, [Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies] Dean James Steinberg and Dr. Evan Medeiros [of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service] joined bipartisan delegations to Taiwan in April of last year and March of this year, respectively. The members of this delegation include experts on Taiwan-US-China relations as well as specialists researching developments in Japan, Korea, Australia, and across the Indo-Pacific region. I trust that this visit will help CSIS continue to offer recommendations on the development of Taiwan-US relations.
Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region are key to upholding the international order. Standing on the frontline of the defense of democracy, we in Taiwan have for years resolutely maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and we will continue working with our democratic allies to strengthen cooperation and share experience in order to defend our way of life and shared values.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Biden administration for recently announcing another military sale to Taiwan, the seventh since President Biden took office, and for taking concrete action to support Taiwan in enhancing its self-defense capabilities and ensuring its safety.
Apart from exchanges in national defense, we hope Taiwan and the US can use the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and other frameworks for dialogue to comprehensively deepen our cooperation, create more opportunities for bilateral economic exchange, and jointly build more secure and resilient supply chains.
In closing, I want to once again extend a warm welcome to our guests. I look forward to continuing our work to advance Taiwan-US ties and further contribute to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
In his remarks, Dean Steinberg thanked President Tsai for receiving the delegation and expressed delight at the chance to meet with the president and other good friends and colleagues. He congratulated Taiwan on recently hosting the International Travel Fair, describing it as a symbol of Taiwan's gradual opening up, and conveyed his excitement at seeing Taiwan's bustling streets, increasingly large hotels, and crowds, saying he is confident they will continue to grow in the weeks and months to come.
On behalf of the members of the delegation, Dean Steinberg stated his admiration for the courage and resilience shown by the Taiwanese people in tackling many daunting challenges of recent years.
Noting that many delegation members have served in the US government, Dean Steinberg said that even more important than those ties are the strength of the ties between the peoples of the United States and Taiwan, ties which derive from our common values and commitments to democracy and an open society.
Dean Steinberg emphasized that we all understand the importance of showing solidarity in the face of these challenges, and expressed hope for building a stronger relationship between our countries and our peoples in the years to come.
Observing that they will have the opportunity to converse with the president and many others in Taiwan during the visit, Dean Steinberg said the members of the delegation will continue to deepen their understanding of the challenges Taiwan faces and of how we can work together to manage these challenges in the coming years, and once again thanked the president for her welcome.