The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced the details of a series of events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), saying that they are designed to highlight the importance of the act in strengthening the Taiwan-US partnership and cross-strait peace.
The logo for the celebration is a diamond mounted with an image of the national flags of Taiwan and the US, which symbolizes the stability and endurance of the partnership between the two nations, Department of North American Affairs Director-General Vincent Yao (姚金祥) told a news conference in Taipei.
Yao said the events included the pending publication on social media sites of a three-minute film depicting the achievements in Taiwan-US relations over the past 40 years.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A civil society dialogue on safeguarding religious freedom in the Indo-Pacific region — organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy at the ministry’s behest — is to be held in Taipei next month, Yao said, adding that it is designed to highlight shared values between Taipei and Washington.
“In addition, a total of seven events under the umbrella of the [Taiwan-US] Global Cooperation Training Framework have been planned for the year, with the topics ranging from law enforcement cooperation, public health, and female empowerment to the preservation of indigenous languages and energy security,” Yao said, adding that the events would be held either in Taiwan or a third country, likely one of the nation’s diplomatic allies.
As the act was signed into law on April 10, 1979, Yao said that the ministry has invited influential think tanks to attend a large-scale forum in Washington in early April and another one in Taipei in the middle of April.
In the same month, a congressional banquet is to be organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US to further consolidate long-term support for Taiwan by the US Congress, Yao said.
He added that the ministry is working on inviting senior US officials to Taiwan in April to attend events to be held by the American Institute in Taiwan to celebrate the anniversary and its upcoming relocation to its new facility in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖).
Other events include a youth camp, a visit by Taiwanese agricultural and trade representatives to the US, a photography exhibition, and other programs to increase Americans’ awareness of the significance of the act and the Taiwan-US relationship, he said.
Asked whether the ministry has evaluated a proposal by some US Republican senators for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to deliver a speech before the US Congress, Yao said that there is currently no such plan, but the ministry would continue to work with Washington in a pragmatic manner, and in accordance with the principles of mutual trust and reciprocity.
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