The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) held its National Advocacy Conference over the weekend, instructing Taiwanese-Americans on how to convey the critical importance of Taiwan’s survival to their legislators and best promote pro-Taiwan legislation.
A record 112 people participated in the conference, with one Taiwanese-American even flying from Alaska to Washington for the event.
The conference, held annually by FAPA, a nongovernmental advocacy organization, began on Saturday last week and ran until yesterday in the US capital.
Photo courtesy of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs
Participants studied how to properly engage with the US Congress and maximize their time with lawmakers.
Today, they were to visit the Capitol Hill offices of Republican Representative Young Kim, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and others.
As the US Congress introduces numerous bills every year, FAPA said one of its biggest challenges is competing with large lobbying organizations and making the case for Taiwan in a limited amount of time.
FAPA president Kao Su-mei (林素梅) said that the main goal of this trip is to explain to Congress why Taiwan is critical to US national security.
FAPA executive director Anny Hsiao (蕭喬勻) and policy fellow Henry Tsai (蔡宗翰) yesterday explained the format for writing letters to US lawmakers, offering tips on attention-grabbing subject lines and researching legislators’ backgrounds to target issues they care about.
They also urged participants to start conversations with personal stories, rather than directly asking their representatives to support policies such as the US-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act.
FAPA was founded in 1982 in Los Angeles by political and social activists, academics and entrepreneurs to promote the rights of Taiwanese at home and abroad.
It currently has more than 40 chapters across the US and about 2,700 members.
Chapters regularly meet with local representatives, while staff at FAPA headquarters in Washington visit Capitol Hill to promote pro-Taiwan policies in Congress.
FAPA’s efforts were indispensable in promoting the 2018 Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages exchanges between US and Taiwan officials.
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