President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan-US relations are at their best in decades. Tsai was speaking on Wednesday while receiving the chair of the American Institute in Taiwan, James Moriarty. The American Institute in Taiwan is the de facto US embassy in Taiwan.
Tsai said she hopes that there will be further growth in trade between the two countries.
Tsai said,“Last month, Taiwan sent a delegation of agriculture experts to the US. We have plans to purchase US$3.7 billion worth of agricultural products from the US in the next two years. We hope that we can sign a Taiwan-US bilateral trade agreement soon to promote trade.”
The president said that despite pressure from China, Taiwan is a responsible member of the international community, and will not give up efforts to take part in international events. She said Taiwan will continue to work closely with the US and other friendly nations to contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, Moriarty affirmed the development of Taiwan-US relations. Moriarty said the US believes that Taiwan’s stability is vital to the Indo Pacific region. He said the US is also concerned about cross-strait relations and about China’s repression of Taiwan.
Moriarty said,“The United States is deeply troubled by the unrelenting political, economic and military pressure that the PRC is exerting on Taiwan. The US opposes unilateral attempts to alter the status quo because they undermined the original framework that has enabled peace, stability, and development for decades.”
Moriarty said that the US sees Taiwan as the greatest achievement of the past century, having transformed itself from a country under martial law into a beacon for democracy. Moriarty said both Taiwan and the US will continue to work to accomplish more together on the basis of the Taiwan Relations Act.