Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen expressed strong favor to the United States in New York, a stopover on her Central American tour.
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency on the 30th, President Tsai said at a dinner event held on the evening of the 29th (local time) with representatives of local Korean residents, “Taiwan will not take friendship (with the US and other friendly countries) for granted. I would like to express my gratitude to all the people standing on the
“Taiwan’s relationship with the United States and other democratic partners is now more important than ever,” Tsai said.
“Taiwan will continue to stand tall and defend freedom, democracy and dignity,” he said.
He also claimed that “Taiwan-US relations are very strong because both sides have common values and share interests, and thanks to the efforts of Taiwanese Koreans in the US.”
Laura Rosenberg, the new president of the American Association of Taiwan (AIT), which is equivalent to the US embassy in Taiwan, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy attended the dinner.
President Rosenberg said, “The United States is working hard to bring Taiwan into a global partnership.”
“We are helping countries with similar ideologies understand Taiwan’s important role in the global economic system,” he said.
“Taiwan is a beacon of democracy that shares values with the United States,” Rosenberg said. “The United States is very pleased to have such a partner.”
On the 30th (local time), President Tsai will spend two days in New York, receiving the Global Leadership Award from the Hudson Institute, a US think tank.
They will then arrive in Guatemala on April 1, hold a summit meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Hiamatei, and move to Belize on the 3rd. President Tsai is scheduled to hold a meeting with Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow on the 4th and address the parliament.
While passing through Los Angeles on the 5th, President Tsai will meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and give a speech at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. It has been reported that Republican Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Special Committee on China, will attend the meeting between House Speaker McCarthy and President Tsai.
President Tsai plans to return to Taiwan on the 7th of next month after completing diplomacy via the US.
The White House has characterized Tsai’s visit to the US as a “customary transit” and urged China not to use it as an excuse to escalate aggressive actions against Taiwan.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.