Tue, Apr 02, 2024 page1

• AIT chair touts ‘rock-solid’ relations

  SEVEN-DAY TRIP: Following a meeting with the president, Laura Rosenberger sat down with William Lai, saying Taiwan and the US would likely grow closer after he takes office

  • By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
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  American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger yesterday said during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) that she hoped to see the US and Taiwan maintain the “rock-solid” relations they currently enjoy.

  Rosenberger, who arrived on Sunday and is scheduled to leave on Saturday, would “demonstrate the United States’ strong US commitment to Taiwan and advance the growing US-Taiwan partnership,” the AIT said in a statement on Sunday.

  Congratulating Taiwanese on conducting free and fair elections in January, Rosenberger said that elections in Taiwan have always been a model for the Indo-Pacific region and the world.

  

  American Institute in Taiwan Chair Laura Rosenberger, left, looks on as President Tsai Ing-wen, right, speaks at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  After the elections, Taiwan received many congratulatory messages from around the world — a recognition of the enduring strength of Taiwan’s democracy, she said.

  Taiwan maintained a close partnership with the US in economics, security and people-to-people exchanges during Tsai’s tenure over the past eight years, Rosenberger said.

  Noticeable recent achievements in the relationship include a memorandum of understanding on international development cooperation signed in February, as well as the fourth High-Level Dialogue on the US-Taiwan Education Initiative and the fourth US-Taiwan Consultations on Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific Region that were held last month, she said.

  

  American Institute in Taiwan Chair Laura Rosenberger, left, shakes hands with Vice President William Lai at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  The economic ties between Taipei and Washington are always strong and continue to deepen, Rosenberger said, citing US President Joe Biden’s Trade Policy Agenda released last month, which highlights the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade as one of the economic visions the US government is working on.

  She also said that efforts to provide double taxation relief to Taiwanese businesses and workers in the US are ongoing.

  Taiwan is a beacon of democracy in the region, boasting a vibrant society, a thriving economy and world-leading technologies, Rosenberger said.

  The US sees Taiwan as a crucial partner, she said, adding that safeguarding peace and stability is a goal shared by Taiwan and the US.

  Washington has a “rock-solid, principled and bipartisan” commitment to Taiwan and hopes the latter will endeavor to maintain that solid relationship, she said.

  Tsai thanked Rosenberger for visiting Taiwan five times since taking office in March last year, saying it “demonstrated her enthusiasm for deepening Taiwan-US relations.”

  The partnership between Taiwan and the US continues to grow ahead of the 45th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act on April 10, 1979, Tsai said.

  Taiwan would continue to cooperate with the US and other democracies to ensure regional stability and promote global prosperity, she added.

  Later yesterday, during a meeting with Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the president-elect, Rosenberger expressed confidence that Taiwan and the US would grow closer after he takes office.

  Lai thanked Rosenberger for leading a delegation to Taiwan shortly after the elections to offer their congratulations and invited her to attend his inauguration on May 20.

  During her trip this week, Rosenberger is also to meet with academics and politicians from across party lines to explore the possibility of collaborating on “regional security, mutually beneficial trade and investment, and people-to-people educational and cultural ties,” the AIT said.
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