Heritage Foundation founder and former president Edwin Feulner yesterday met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), giving her an official copy of the think tank’s latest Index of Economic Freedom and promising to help push for the signing of a US-Taiwan free-trade agreement.
Taiwan ranked 10th globally in this year’s Index of Economic Freedom, published on Friday last week, its highest score in the ranking’s 25-year existence.
Taiwan outscored the US, Feulner told Tsai.
Photo: CNA
“The idea of economic freedom is not only good for the big guys at the top, it is good for the average citizen,” Feulner said. “She or he can rise up and have a higher standard of living, because there is more economic freedom and because there is more opportunity, and that is what is so exciting.”
He said he has urged his “colleagues in the US to work very closely with you in terms of moving forward to a bilateral free-trade agreement,” as the US and Taiwan celebrate the 40th anniversary of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act.
“I think that will very much be in both our nations’ interest and help practically to solidify what is now a full part of US legal theory, but also strengthen even greater the economic ties that we already enjoy,” Feulner said.
Tsai said that the latest index ranking is an affirmation of Taiwan’s economic openness and free trade, which her administration has worked hard to facilitate.
As globalization accelerates, the advances in information technology represent a challenge and an opportunity to the economy, while testing the administration’s ability to govern, she said.
“We have made great strides in deregulation, in strengthening the financial sector’s health, and in energy transition,” Tsai said. “Google’s decision to invest green energy in Taiwan is an indication of the international corporate confidence in the nation’s energy transition.”
Democracy and the rule of law are as much an asset to the nation as its economy, she said, adding that the foundation’s index rightly links social progress, education, elimination of poverty and democratic values to economic freedom.
“As the nation strives to transform the structure of the economy, we will also continue on the path for strengthening democratization and the rule of law,” Tsai said.
The values shared by Taiwan and the US is the source of their strong friendship, she said, noting that the US House of Representatives last week unanimously passed a bill aimed at helping Taiwan regain observer status with the WHO.
The government is grateful for the US government’s affirmation of Taiwan’s contribution to global disease-control efforts at the WHO executive board’s annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Tsai said.
Taiwan hopes to enhance its collaboration with the US in advancing the common interests of the global community, she said.
Tsai also talked about Feulner’s long-standing ties with Taiwan, saying that he has visited 170 times since the 1970s and twice last year alone.
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