US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday said that her delegation traveled to Taipei to make it “unequivocally clear” that the US stands with Taiwan and is proud of the two sides’ enduring friendship.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in the morning received the delegation at the Presidential Office in Taipei, where she awarded Pelosi the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon in recognition of her long-term support and contributions to the Taiwan-US relationship.
Pelosi said she accepted the award with “great humility” on behalf of the members of the US Congress who are united in their support for Taiwan and looks forward to wearing it on Capitol Hill “as a symbol of our treasured friendship.”
Photo: EPA-EFE / PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
“Forty-two years ago, America made a bedrock promise to always stand with Taiwan,” she said, referring to the US’ Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
“On this strong foundation, we have built a thriving partnership grounded in our shared values of self-government and self-determination,” with a focus on mutual security interests and economic ties, she said.
Security, economy and governance are the three main pillars of any US congressional delegation — all areas in which the US and Taiwan enjoy strong cooperation, she said, congratulating Taiwan for being a “model to the world” regarding its success in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: EPA-EFE / MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Pelosi also called attention to Taiwan’s history of democratization, calling its story “an inspiration to all freedom-loving people.”
“Out of a crucible of challenge you have formed a flourishing democracy, one of the freest in the world, proudly led by a woman president,” she said.
Apart from showing solidarity, the delegation visited to listen to Taiwanese and learn how to participate in the region in a way that allows Taiwan to be successful, she added.
Photo: Lu Chun-wei, Taipei Times
“Now more than ever, America’s solidarity with Taiwan is crucial, and that is the message we are bringing here today,” Pelosi said. “America’s determination to preserve democracy here in Taiwan and around the world remains iron-clad, and we’re grateful for the partnership of the people of Taiwan in this mission.”
Tsai thanked Pelosi for her devoted friendship with Taiwan.
Pelosi previously visited Taiwan in October 1999, showing particular concern over the 921 Earthquake that happened on Sept. 21 just before her visit, Tsai said, assuring the speaker that Taiwan in the decades since has rebuilt and weathered even more challenges.
With Russia invading Ukraine earlier this year, security in the Taiwan Strait has become a global focus with serious implications for the entire Indo-Pacific region, Tsai said.
To cope with these uncertainties, she outlined three key principles:
“First, facing deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down,” and will continue to uphold its sovereignty and hold the line of defense for democracy, she said.
She also vowed to do “whatever it takes” to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense capability, making the nation a key stabilizing force for regional security.
“Third, Taiwan is a reliable and trusted cooperative partner of the United States,” she said, pledging to work with Congress and the US administration on security, economic development, talent cultivation and supply chains.
After the meeting, Tsai and Pelosi held a joint news conference for representatives from local and international media, as well as a Japanese representative.
Pelosi said that she and Tsai discussed the three pillars, as well as a trade agreement that “might be possible soon.”
Asked whether Taiwan could expect more visits by high-level US delegations, Pelosi said she “certainly hopes so,” but added that other recent visits by US representatives did not attract the same kind of attention.
Regarding the potential for Tsai or other Taiwanese officials to address the US Congress, Pelosi said that they have not held a joint session for about three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors.
Regarding the possibility of a response by Beijing, she said: “I think that whatever China is going to do, they will do in their own good time. What excuse they might use to do it is another thing.”
“I do think it’s really important for the message to be clear that in the US House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans are committed to the security of Taiwan in order to have Taiwan most effectively defend themselves,” she said.
To counter China, “we have to show the world the success of the people of Taiwan,” Pelosi said. “Their courage to change their own country to become more democratic, their respect for people is, quite frankly, a model in this region, but we’re not here to talk about mainland China. We’re here to talk about Taiwan.”
Pelosi’s Taiwan visit was the first of a sitting US House speaker since 1997, when Republican Newt Gingrich traveled to Taipei and met with then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
The other members of Pelosi’s delegation are House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, House Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair Suzan DelBene, House Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi and US Representative Andy Kim.
Pelosi arrived in Taipei at 10:43pm on Tuesday for the third leg of her Asia tour.
During her 19-hour stay, Pelosi also visited the legislature, the Jingmei White Terror Memorial Park in New Taipei City and attended a noon banquet at the Taipei Guest House attended by businesspeople and national security officials, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀).
Her aircraft departed from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) at 6:01pm yesterday to continue the rest of her Indo-Pacific trip, which was to take her to South Korea and Japan before heading back to the US.
Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan and CNA
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique