President Lai Ching-te received former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Office Jan. 17 in Taipei City, expressing hope to see an even stronger partnership forged to maintain regional and global peace and stability.
Praising Pence as an outstanding political leader, Lai said the former VP spoke in support of Taiwan’s international participation on numerous occasions at international venues. His contributions to the Taiwan-U.S. ties are sincerely appreciated by the government and people, Lai added.
According to Lai, during his tenure, the former VP actively helped strengthen bilateral security cooperation and facilitate the normalization of military sales to Taiwan, deepen economic partnership and closely monitor military threats and diplomatic isolation faced by Taiwan.
At a time when authoritarian regimes continue to converge and present serious challenges to democracies around the world, Lai said free and democratic nations need to work in unity to expand their cooperation. A stronger Taiwan-U.S. partnership will be an even more powerful force in safeguarding peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the president added.
Lai welcomed the first visit by Pence and his wife to Taiwan, an event of significance, and expressed anticipation for continued work with the new U.S. administration and Congress to advance two-way exchanges in economy, trade and industry.
In response, Pence said it was an honor for him to visit Taiwan to reaffirm the strong and longstanding bond of friendship between the two peoples. The shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights bind the two sides together in a partnership that transcends geographic boundaries and cultures, he stated.
The U.S. is a Pacific nation committed to the status quo that has created an environment of extraordinary growth and prosperity, and the U.S., Taiwan and other regional allies all want to maintain that stability. Washington recognizes China as the element wanting to change the status quo, and the American people are deeply concerned about China’s increasingly aggressive posture in the region.
Just as Taiwan will never surrender its freedom, Pence said he will continue to be a voice for a strong U.S.-Taiwan relationship in the defense and for the benefit of Taiwan, the U.S. and the free world. (SFC-E)
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