US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has congratulated President Tsai Ing-wen on her reelection. Pelosi expressed her congratulations Monday in a written statement prepared on behalf of the House of Representatives.
President Tsai was reelected on Saturday with a record 8.17 million votes and 57.1% of the popular vote.
Pelosi said “The United States looks forward to further strengthening our firm partnership and friendship with Taiwan, as we work together to defend human rights and dignity in the region and throughout the world”.
She highlighted Taiwan’s democracy in her remarks, saying “Last weekend, the people of Taiwan cast their ballots for liberty, human dignity and democratic government”. She congratulated President Tsai and “the Taiwanese people on this momentous election, reaffirming their commitment to a free, open and democratic society”.
In addition to the house speaker, a number of US representatives and senators also congratulated Tsai on her reelection. These include Senators Cory Gardner and Marco Rubio, and Representative Ted Yolo,
The US and Taiwan have seen strong ties during Tsai’s first term. During this time, the US has passed landmark legislation such as the TAIPEI Act of 2019, which supports Taiwan’s diplomatic alliances, and the Taiwan Travel Act, which advocates more high-level bilateral exchanges.