The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI), a think tank that aims to protect Taiwanese democracy and national security by strengthening Taiwan-US relations, on Wednesday held an event at its headquarters in Washington to mark its inauguration.
The GTI is the first US-based think tank dedicated to Taiwanese interests and is said to be well-funded, reportedly spending US$24 million on the property for its headquarters in Dupont Circle, a neighborhood known for its heavy presence of embassies and prestigious think tanks.
The event was attended by almost 100 Taiwanese-Americans, research institute experts, diplomats and politicians.
Photo: CNA
Among the attendees were US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the Republican Party and US Representative Grace Meng of the Democratic Party; New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐); Taiwan’s Representative to the US Stanley Kao (高碩泰); former US senior official to APEC Robert Wang; US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) senior vice president for Asia Michael Green; Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and director of the China Power Project at the CSIS; and Heritage Foundation director of Asian studies Walter Lohman.
GTI chairman Robert Lai (賴義雄) said the institute’s mission is to develop leaders and advocates for a strong Taiwan-US relationship for the next generation.
Kao said the GTI and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US have the same aims, and he looked forward to the two working together to promote Taiwan in the international community, and to improving and strengthening Taiwan-US relations, according to the Central News Agency.
Ros-Lehtinen said the US must remain committed to the “six assurances” — a series of guarantees for Taiwanese security against Chinese claims — as the foundation of US-Taiwan relations.
The GTI said it would hold its first academic conference on Thursday next week. The conference is to be chaired by former American Institute in Taiwan deputy director David Keegan and is to look at issues such as whether the US needs to change course on its Taiwan policy that was set out in 1994.
Sources who attended the event said that US lawmakers are expected to propose a bill which would lift restrictions barring high-ranking Taiwanese officials from visiting Washington and US military commanders from visiting Taiwan.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to