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.
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.
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.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS