A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) delegation wrapped up a trip to the US and returned to Taiwan yesterday, with DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) touting the trip’s successful dialogues and exchange of ideas with overseas Taiwanese groups, and meetings held with several important US think tanks and policy researchers.
“Taiwan is now facing external threats, discords and challenges from within. I can understand the anxiety of many Taiwanese regarding the party’s prospect of winning next year’s election. Therefore I have asked all party staff to listen more, and do more work in fulfilling our promises and in carrying out reform,” he said.
Throughout the 10-day trip, the delegation paid a visit to the DPP branch office in the eastern US, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs office in Washington, as well as Taiwanese Presbyterian Church groups, Taiwanese-American business associations and leaders of various Taiwanese community organizations, he said.
In Washington, the delegation visited the offices of the Project 2049 Institute, the International Republican Institute, the Global Taiwan Institute and other US think tanks, where delegates met with officials and researchers for discussion and mutual exchange of ideas.
“A meeting was held on visiting the Republican National Committee to enhance the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and the US through diplomacy initiatives between the political parties,” a statement said.
Cho gave the keynote address on Friday last week at the Taiwanese-American Conference / East Coast, held on the campus of West Chester University in Pennsylvania, as the summer assembly was celebrating its 50-year anniversary with the theme of “Taiwan is in my DNA.”
“Our party’s most important task is to defend Taiwan and counter regional hegemony. Taiwan is now facing a campaign of fake news and misinformation from China, as well as the China-directed ‘red media’ infiltration of our society,” Cho said in his address.
At the conference and other stops in the four US cities, Cho admitted that numerous Taiwanese-Americans had complaints and criticisms about the the DPP.
Cho said that he reported on the progress of reforms undertaken by the DPP after the local elections in November last year and set out the goals the party wishes to accomplish.
“I urge them to rally around our party and take up the fight for next year’s election, so that we can achieve victory in this expected very tough battle and together we can defend Taiwan,” Cho said.
He said he would report about the trip to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other DPP officials.
“Through these past 10 days, we have pulled in the overseas Taiwanese communities to get closer with our party. From this, we can join up together with courage to overcome the obstacles against us, and to find solutions to overcome these problems and march toward victory in next year’s election,” Cho said.
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