President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has promised the US that Taiwan will be a “shining beacon” of freedom and democracy and a source of peace and stability in Asia and the world.
In a recorded video message to an inaugural celebration held at Taiwan’s Twin Oaks Estate in Washington, Tsai said Taiwan had once again shown that freedom, democracy and the rule of law were not just Western values, but were universal.
In the message, played shortly before Tsai’s inauguration, she told more than 100 guests, including members of the US Congress, officials from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the US-Taiwan community, that the US was Taiwan’s “most treasured friend.”
Photo: Nadia Tsao, Taipei Times
Tsai said the US-Taiwan relationship had grown and evolved and that the US had helped provide Taiwan with the security and confidence to meet the challenges before it.
She said the administration of US President Barack Obama and the US Congress had reaffirmed Taiwan as a “vital partner” and that Taiwan’s relationship with the US would be of the highest priority in her administration.
Tsai said that many challenges needed to be handled in a responsible manner and that she hoped to work hand-in-hand with the US to face the challenges together.
She said Taiwan would contribute in every way possible to the stability and prosperity of the region and that she wanted to thank the US “from the bottom of my heart” for its friendship.
Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) said that Taiwan would do everything possible to ensure the continuation of its excellent relationship with the US.
He said the current relationship was the best that it had ever been and that Taiwan had been repeatedly cited by Washington officials as a “key component” of the US’ rebalance to Asia.
Shen said that on Capitol Hill, the US Senate’s Taiwan caucus has 35 members and the US House of Representatives’ Taiwan caucus has 211 members.
He said that there are 325,000 US jobs stemming from US economic relations with Taiwan.
Shen said he would be remiss if he did not acknowledge the long-term contribution that the policies of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had made to the “remarkable improvement” in US-Taiwan relations.
He said he had no doubt that relations between Taiwan and the US would continue to grow under Tsai.
AIT Managing Director Joseph Donovan said that Taiwan’s democratic achievement provided a “great occasion for celebration.”
He said the US had a proud relationship with Taiwan and was proud of what it had accomplished with Ma and proud of what it believed it could accomplish in the years ahead.
“We congratulate President Tsai Ing-wen and look forward to working with her administration,” Donovan said.
US Representative Gerry Connolly said Taiwan was a remarkable model and that it provided hope for the people of Asia.
Director of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) mission in Washington Michael Fonte said Tsai fully intended to keep the partnership with the US alive and growing.
He said he was convinced that with US support on the economic and security fronts Taiwan would continue to be a pure and deep democratic partner and would work toward building security in the region.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan’s Liu Ming-i, right, who also goes by the name Ray Liu, poses with a Chinese Taipei flag after winning the gold medal in the men’s physique 170cm competition at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation Asian Championship in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
TO BE APPEALED: The environment ministry said coal reduction goals had to be reached within two months, which was against the principle of legitimate expectation The Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau in its administrative litigation against the Ministry of Environment for the rescission of a NT$18 million fine (US$609,570) imposed by the bureau on the Taichung Power Plant in 2019 for alleged excess coal power generation. The bureau in November 2019 revised what it said was a “slip of the pen” in the text of the operating permit granted to the plant — which is run by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) — in October 2017. The permit originally read: “reduce coal use by 40 percent from Jan.
RSS