The foreign ministry has thanked incoming US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for expressing strong support for Taiwan.
During a confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Blinken said that the administration of Joe Biden will continue to abide by the United States' commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act. The Taiwan Relations Act supports enabling Taiwan to defend itself. Blinken also said that the US hopes Taiwan will be able to play a more important role in international affairs.
Blinken also praised Taiwan. He said that he has met with President Tsai Ing-wen at the State Department and spoke to her a number of times after she became president while he was deputy secretary of state.
In 2015, Tsai met with Blinken and was the first Taiwanese presidential candidate to enter the White House and Department of State headquarters.
He said that Taiwan is "in many ways a model democracy, a strong economy, and a technological powerhouse.” He then concluded by saying that Taiwan has“a lot of lessons to teach us" when it comes to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.