The US will show the positive role Taiwan plays in Asia and in the world next year to mark the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman James Moriarty said yesterday.
“Next year, Taiwan and the United States will celebrate a milestone in the relationship before the anniversary of the TRA,” Moriarty said, referring to the law enacted by the US Congress in 1979 after Washington cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
“In that anniversary year, I look forward to further advancing across the many dimensions of this partnership,” Moriarty said.
Photo: CNA
“The coming year will, I am sure, show to all why the US considers Taiwan to be a vital and reliable partner in Asia and a force for good in the world,” he said.
Moriarty, who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a week-long visit, made the remarks at a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office.
Moriarty said his visit was an opportunity to take stock of a flourishing US-Taiwan relationship and a comprehensive, durable and mutually beneficial partnership.
That relationship is grounded not only in the shared interests of the US and Taiwan, “but just as importantly in our shared values, in particular our support for democracy and human rights,” he said.
Moriarty is to participate in a committee meeting of the Global Cooperation Training Framework (GCTF) to plan its activities for the coming year.
“The GCTF is recognition of how much Taiwan has to offer to the international community and an affirmation of US support for finding ways to assist Taiwan in not only preserving, but expanding its international space,” he said.
Since the GCTF was established in 2015, it has brought together more than 200 experts and academics from 30 nations to address global issues, such as health, women’s empowerment and media literacy, Tsai said.
“Our government will continue to increase the frequency and scope of the issues and the number of participants in GCTF activities,” she said.
Taiwan would continue to contribute to the Indo-Pacific region through the government’s New Southbound Policy, Tsai said.
“These achievements have not gone unnoticed by our international friends. I hope that the US and other countries will join us to work together for a more prosperous and stable region,” the president said.
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