President Tsai Ing-wen said Jan. 15 that Taiwan is committed to working with the U.S. to tackle global challenges while also expressing hope that relations will continue advancing to serve as a driving force for regional and global prosperity and development.
The president made the remarks while meeting with the U.S government cross-party group at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The delegation was led by former U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, accompanied by American Institute in Taiwan chair Laura Rosenberger.
The visit followed immediately after presidential and legislative elections and is thus very significant, Tsai said. It demonstrates full U.S. support for the country’s democracy and spotlights the close and staunch U.S. partnerships, she added.
The first agreement under the Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st-Century Trade was signed last year and is the most comprehensive trade pact inked between the two sides since 1979. According to Tsai, this is just one of the substantive actions that show that over the past eight years Taiwan has continued to deepen cooperation with countries worldwide.
Tsai said she looked forward to Taiwan and the U.S. promptly addressing the double taxation issue, which will help local companies diversify overseas operations and will enable the U.S. to strengthen its economic resilience. The president added that she believes the two like-minded partners will further expand cooperation in areas spanning culture, education, environmental sustainability and technological development.
In response, Hadley said Taiwan’s democracy has set a shining example for the world. The U.S. will continue its partnership with Taiwan under the new administration and jointly maintain cross-strait peace and stability, he added.
Following Hadley’s remarks, Steinberg stressed the decades-long consistency of U.S. policy on exclusively peaceful means to address cross-strait issues, the importance of dialogue and the avoidance of unilateral changes to the status quo. (YCH-E)
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