US representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi yesterday reaffirmed bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US Congress, and praised President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) leadership and Taiwanese democracy.
Gallagher, chairman of the US House of Representatives Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, is leading a cross-party delegation to Taiwan from yesterday to tomorrow as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region, the American Institute in Taiwan said in a news release yesterday.
Other members of the delegation include US representatives John Moolenaar, Dusty Johnson and Seth Moulton, it said.
Photo: AP / Presidential Office
“We’ve come as Democrats and Republicans to show our bipartisan support for this [US-Taiwan] partnership, which thanks to your leadership, I think is stronger and more rock solid than ever,” Gallagher told Tsai.
The committee is visiting Taiwan — “one of our [the US’] closest friends” — for the first time “and certainly on a bipartisan basis,” which is proof of the strong ties between the two sides, Krishnamoorthi said.
He praised the nation’s vibrant democracy and strong economy, adding that Taiwan “provided a role model for how elections should be conducted,” referring to the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections.
Photo: CNA / Presidential Office
Tsai thanked Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi for issuing statements to congratulate Taiwan right after the elections and leading the delegation to show firm support for Taiwan’s democracy through concrete actions.
Later yesterday, the delegation met with president-elect William Lai (賴清德) and vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), with Gallagher assuring Lai that he has many bipartisan supporters in the US Congress who would continue to make every effort to deepen the two nations’ partnership.
The visit is to display US support for Taiwan in defending freedom against authoritarianism, he said, adding that if Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) attempts a military invasion of Taiwan, it would be doomed to fail.
The US strongly supports the robust development of ties with Taiwan, and the US Congress has great trust in Lai and his leadership, Krishnamoorthi said.
In the face of geopolitical challenges, Taiwan will handle cross-strait relations based on the principles of peace, reciprocity, democracy and dialogue, Lai said.
With the committee’s support, Taiwan will continue to strengthen its national defense capabilities and demonstrate its self-defense determination to the international community, the vice president added.
Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi viewed the meetings with Tsai and Lai as successes.
“We’re very excited about just the opportunity to deepen, continue to deepen the partnership between the United States and Taiwan and very confident s will happen in the future,” Gallagher told a news conference.
The delegation is on “a mission of peace” — to enhance peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which would benefit from close interactions between US and Taiwanese lawmakers, he said.
Beijing’s attempts to “divide and conquer” US allies and the free world have proved a failure as Taiwanese and Americans join forces against authoritarian aggression, he said.
“The United States Democrats and Republicans stand with Taiwan, for your freedom and for ours, for as Taiwan goes, so goes the world. Taiwan must remain as it stands today, a candle burning freely, fiercely and improbably, against the darkness,” Gallagher said.
With the US holding a presidential election in November, Gallagher said: “I’m very confident that support for Taiwan will continue regardless of who occupies the White House.”
Asked what the US could do in response to China’s attempts to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, Gallagher urged US lawmakers to “get to the region and express support,” constantly expressing support to its allies and condemnation of its enemies.
He also backs a free-trade agreement with Taiwan to help the US reduce its dependency on China for critical goods.
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