President Lai meets former United States Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger
On the morning of June 13, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by former United States Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger. In remarks, President Lai thanked the delegation for visiting Taiwan, demonstrating their concern and support. The president stated that the new government will actively implement the Four Pillars of Peace action plan and that we will work closely with the US and other like-minded countries to become stronger and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability. He also expressed hope that Taiwan and the US will promptly address the issue of double taxation and expedite the next round of negotiations under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which would be one more step toward a bilateral trade agreement, so as to bring our bilateral economic and trade development to new heights.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
There is a proverb in Mandarin that says: “It is always a pleasure to greet a friend from afar.” I warmly welcome two good friends of Taiwan, Mr. Pottinger and Mr. Ivan Kanapathy, former US White House National Security Council deputy senior director for Asian affairs, who are visiting us once again. In just a few days, it will be one month since our new administration took office. Your visit at this time fully demonstrates your concern and support for Taiwan. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my sincere gratitude to you.
Mr. Pottinger and Mr. Kanapathy are both experts in international geopolitics. I very much look forward to more in-depth exchanges with you on the Indo-Pacific situation, the development of Taiwan-US relations, and other issues moments from now.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Pottinger for the valuable advice he provides in his new book on Taiwan’s defense exchanges with other countries and on the establishment of a new military culture for Taiwan. The book’s title, The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan, comes from the Mandarin idiom “metal city and boiling moat” (金城湯池), meaning a city that has strong defenses, surrounded by walls of metal and a moat of boiling water. And it is also the common aspiration of many people for Taiwan to enhance its national defense and maintain peace.
Mr. Pottinger has repeatedly urged democracies around the world to strengthen cooperation in response to expanding authoritarianism. Taiwan’s goal is also to deepen partnerships with other democracies. Going forward, the new government will actively implement the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. We will work closely with the US and other like-minded countries to become stronger and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
Taiwan and the US are important economic and trade partners. Deepening our ties in this regard will not only benefit both our peoples, but also ensure supply chain security. We look forward to Taiwan and the US promptly addressing the issue of double taxation and expediting the next round of negotiations under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade. This would be one more step toward a bilateral trade agreement, which Mr. Pottinger supports, and it would bring our bilateral economic and trade development to new heights.
In closing, thank you once again for visiting Taiwan and working together to deepen Taiwan-US relations. I wish you a smooth and successful visit.
Mr. Pottinger then delivered remarks, first congratulating President Lai on his election and inauguration and another peaceful transition of power in Taiwan. He added that it really means congratulations to the people of Taiwan as well. Noting that there are people all over the world today who live under authoritarian governments, who do not have the privilege of living in a democracy, he said that those people, including more than one billion people just across the Taiwan Strait, look with envy, and they look with a feeling of inspiration, at the example that Taiwan has set in the world.
Mr. Pottinger said he is honored to be here today with his colleague Ivan, who is a co-author with him of their book The Boiling Moat. He said that they are going to exchange views on things that Taiwan, but also things that the US, should be doing, in some cases doing together in close coordination, to safeguard Taiwan’s security, because Taiwan’s security is very intimately tied to the security of the US, the security of Japan, of South Korea, of the Philippines, and other countries throughout the region and around the globe.
Mr. Pottinger said that one of the lessons of the war that is happening in Ukraine right now is that deterrence would be much cheaper than war. Noting that President Lai is one who understands the principle of peace through strength, the former deputy national security advisor said that that is the principle that should give all of us confidence that Taiwan can effectively deter aggression from nearby countries. In closing, he thanked President Lai once again for having him and said that they look forward to their discussions today.