United States House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his support for Taiwan in a meeting with the newly appointed Representative to the U.S. Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) on Tuesday. The closed-door meeting, which lasted 30 minutes, was the first between the pair since Yui officially assumed the position last December.
Speaking to reporters Johnson said the U.S. stands “shoulder to shoulder” with the people of Taiwan. He said the U.S. wants to help in the defense of Taiwan and deter the Chinese Communist Party from any military provocation. Johnson added that the U.S. Congress stands with its friends and supports the principle of democracy.
Yui expressed his gratitude to the U.S. Congress for its long standing bipartisan support of Taiwan, its commitment to strengthening Taiwan's security, and defending Taiwan's democratic system. Yui said Taiwan looks forward to further strengthening the “rock-solid friendship”.
In a media interview after the talks, Yui said that Johnson wished Taiwan the best for the upcoming elections. As for whether Johnson plans to visit Taiwan, Yui said they did not discuss the issue. Yui says that Johnson emphasized to him that he was a long-term friend of Taiwan and expressed the unanimous stance of support from both parties in Congress.