President Tsai meets American Institute in Taiwan Chairperson Laura Rosenberger
On the morning of April 1, President Tsai Ing-wen met with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairperson Laura Rosenberger. In remarks, President Tsai said that Taiwan and the United States are working toward a comprehensive partnership and thanked the US government and Congress for their efforts to strengthen Taiwan-US security cooperation. The president also stated that Taiwan will continue to work with the US and other democracies to maintain regional peace and stability and advance prosperity and development around the world, and that she looks forward to Taiwan-US collaboration continuing to deepen in such areas as trade and the economy, supply chain security, and cybersecurity.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
It is a pleasure to meet with Chairperson Rosenberger once again. This is your fifth visit to Taiwan since taking office just over a year ago. I want to thank you for taking concrete action to demonstrate your passion and eagerness to deepen Taiwan-US relations.
Last year, when you visited the Presidential Office for the first time as AIT chairperson, you mentioned how Taiwan and the US were working together to expand and strengthen our partnership through various channels and said that you looked forward to this continuing.
In the past year, we signed the first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative for 21st-Century Trade, setting a new milestone for bilateral trade relations. And in the past two months, Taiwan and the US signed an MOU on international development cooperation. The US Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 has also been signed into law. These developments are helping facilitate a comprehensive partnership between Taiwan and the US. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the US government and Congress for their efforts to strengthen Taiwan-US security cooperation.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. Thanks to bipartisan support in the US, our partnership has not only stood the test of time but also grown even stronger. As we face a rapidly changing global landscape, Taiwan will continue to work with the US and other democracies to maintain regional peace and stability and advance prosperity and development around the world.
We look forward to Taiwan-US collaboration continuing to deepen in such areas as trade and the economy, supply chain security, and cybersecurity. I believe that with Chairperson Rosenberger's assistance, Taiwan-US relations will grow even more fruitful as we continue to work together.
Chairperson Rosenberger then delivered remarks, thanking President Tsai for her warm welcome. It is always wonderful to be here with her, she said, and she looks forward to the conversation, which is sure to be as rich and productive as ever.
Chairperson Rosenberger once again congratulated President Tsai and the people of Taiwan on the conduct of our free and fair elections in January. Time and again, she said, Taiwan's electoral process sets an example for democracies throughout the Indo-Pacific and around the world. The chairperson added that it is clear from the many public expressions of support after our election that Taiwan's partners and friends around the world recognize the enduring strength of Taiwan's democracy.
Mentioning that the weeks since Taiwan's election have been extraordinarily productive ones for US-Taiwan ties, Chairperson Rosenberger said that they are deeply appreciative of our close collaboration over the past eight years on the many shared efforts that underpin our partnership, spanning economic security and people-to-people dimensions.
Chairperson Rosenberger then highlighted some of the most recent progress in the US-Taiwan partnership. In February, she said, AIT hosted the signing of an AIT-TECRO memorandum of understanding, as President Tsai had just mentioned, for the US International Development Finance Corporation and the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund to enable collaboration on shared development projects around the globe. She then noted that in March we convened the fourth high-level dialogue on the US-Taiwan Education Initiative, reaffirming our commitment to deepening cooperation on international education, particularly in the areas of English and Mandarin language education.
Last week here in Taipei, the chairperson noted, we convened the fourth US-Taiwan Consultations on Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific region, to exchange views on how to strengthen the building blocks of democracy and address pressing government challenges throughout the region. She stated that the US applauds Taiwan's invaluable participation in the third Summit for Democracy recently hosted in Seoul.
On the topic of our economic ties, Chairperson Rosenberger said that momentum continues to grow. She pointed to President Biden's 2024 Trade Policy Agenda, released in March, saying that it highlights the administration's continuing focus on the US-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative. The chairperson also said that we are continuing work to address the issue of double taxation. Alongside our Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration framework, she noted, the US and Taiwan are also working hard to strengthen these mutually beneficial economic ties.
Chairperson Rosenberger emphasized that the US and Taiwan share a deep and abiding interest in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. She stated that the US commitment to Taiwan is rock solid, principled, and bipartisan, and that they also welcome Taiwan's continued commitment to maintaining the status quo.
Chairperson Rosenberger then noted that this month marks the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, which along with the Three Joint Communiqués and the Six Assurances has guided the US approach to Taiwan for nearly half a century. She said that this year we celebrate a framework that has facilitated US engagement with a Taiwan that is a beacon of democracy in the region and in the world; a vibrant and diverse society; a thriving economy; a technological powerhouse; and of course, a close friend of the US.
The chairperson said that the Taiwan Relations Act also underscored the longstanding commitment of the US to enabling Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capacity. She applauded the Tsai administration's steps to enhance Taiwan's self-defense capabilities, including investing in whole-of-society resilience.
In closing, Chairperson Rosenberger thanked President Tsai for her essential work advancing these many efforts during the past eight years, and said that she knows we both look forward to continued collaboration between the US and Taiwan and to the continued growth of our partnership in the years to come.
Chairperson Rosenberger was accompanied to the Presidential Office by AIT Taipei Office Director Sandra Oudkirk.