President Tsai meets 2018 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue participants
On the afternoon of August 30, President Tsai Ing-wen met with US Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and keynote speakers participating in the 2018 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue: Promoting a Free & Open Indo-Pacific Region. The president emphasized that Taiwan will continue to cooperate with the United States and other like-minded countries to promote regional peace, stability, and development.
In remarks, President Tsai welcomed her visitors to Taiwan to participate in the 2018 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue as panelists and keynote speakers. She said she believes that the Dialogue will help Taiwan and like-minded countries find ways to contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The president pointed out that Congresswoman Johnson has been an active advocate for Taiwan in the US Congress, participating in pro-Taiwan activities. For both of President Tsai's stopovers in Houston during state visits abroad, Congresswoman Johnson came all the way from her congressional district in Dallas to meet with the president, so the president was delighted to have a chance to receive Congresswoman Johnson in Taiwan.
The president was also pleased to receive two first-time visitors to Taiwan. One was Admiral James Stavridis, who is a renowned expert in strategy and geopolitics, and has always advocated active US engagement with Taiwan. The other was Dr. Nadia Schadlow, the primary author of the first National Security Strategy under President Trump, which reiterated the US security commitment to Taiwan.
President Tsai mentioned that China continues to step up the pressure on Taiwan, undermining regional stability. In facing these challenges, Taiwan will not bow to pressure, she said, and will continue to cooperate with the United States and other like-minded countries to promote regional peace, stability, and development.
The president noted that participants in the Dialogue include legislators from Taiwan, the United States, and Japan, as well as academics and experts from the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. Rapid change in our region, she said, makes this kind of dialogue and exchange more important than ever, as we're not only addressing regional challenges together, but also continuing to deepen our mutual partnership.
In closing, the president gave a special thanks to the Prospect Foundation for co-hosting the Dialogue. She also thanked her visitors for participating, and stated that their visit shows that Taiwan-US relations enjoy strong, broad-based support in the United States. As an important regional partner, she said, Taiwan will continue close cooperation with the United States, working toward our common goals. The president then said she looks forward to more interaction and exchanges with the visitors.