President Lai Ching-te said April 7 that Taiwan is committed to ensuring national security, strengthening cooperation with the U.S. and safeguarding cross-strait and regional peace and stability.
Lai made the remarks while receiving a U.S. House of Representatives delegation led by Zach Nunn, chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) National Security Task Force, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. He said that April 10 marks the 47th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, which along with the Six Assurances, forms the foundation of the Taiwan-U.S. relationship and bears witness to the long friendship.
Peace must be achieved through strength, Lai stated, and that strength must be built on resilience. Taiwan will continue to advance its self-defense capability to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, he said, citing that the national defense budget this year will exceed 3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and would reach 5 percent by 2030, and that the government has proposed the eight-year US$40 billion special defense budget to enhance asymmetric combat capability and cooperate with advanced military industrial countries like the U.S. to protect the values of freedom and democracy.
The president thanked the U.S. Congress for incorporating initiatives to deepen Taiwan-U.S. partnership and strengthen Taiwan’s security through the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act. He gave the example of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026, which includes initiatives supporting bilateral collaboration on drone and counter-drone technology development, giving Taiwan a new role as a defense industry partner with the U.S.
Lai concluded by saying that economic and trade cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. has grown so that last year Taiwan was the U.S.’ fourth largest trading partner. He further urged Congress to pass a bill to resolve the double taxation issue as soon as possible.
In response, Nunn said that the delegation reaffirms staunch U.S. support for Taiwan and noted that deepening bilateral trade and investment is beneficial to both. Taiwan’s future is closely tied to international freedoms, he added. Nunn also presented a Congressional Record of Recognition to Lai acknowledging his leadership. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
Lai made the remarks while receiving a U.S. House of Representatives delegation led by Zach Nunn, chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) National Security Task Force, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. He said that April 10 marks the 47th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, which along with the Six Assurances, forms the foundation of the Taiwan-U.S. relationship and bears witness to the long friendship.
Peace must be achieved through strength, Lai stated, and that strength must be built on resilience. Taiwan will continue to advance its self-defense capability to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, he said, citing that the national defense budget this year will exceed 3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and would reach 5 percent by 2030, and that the government has proposed the eight-year US$40 billion special defense budget to enhance asymmetric combat capability and cooperate with advanced military industrial countries like the U.S. to protect the values of freedom and democracy.
The president thanked the U.S. Congress for incorporating initiatives to deepen Taiwan-U.S. partnership and strengthen Taiwan’s security through the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act. He gave the example of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026, which includes initiatives supporting bilateral collaboration on drone and counter-drone technology development, giving Taiwan a new role as a defense industry partner with the U.S.
Lai concluded by saying that economic and trade cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. has grown so that last year Taiwan was the U.S.’ fourth largest trading partner. He further urged Congress to pass a bill to resolve the double taxation issue as soon as possible.
In response, Nunn said that the delegation reaffirms staunch U.S. support for Taiwan and noted that deepening bilateral trade and investment is beneficial to both. Taiwan’s future is closely tied to international freedoms, he added. Nunn also presented a Congressional Record of Recognition to Lai acknowledging his leadership. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
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