President Lai Ching-te received a congratulatory delegation from the U.S. led by representative Michael McCaul on Monday morning.
“We love Taiwan,” the United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairperson Michael McCaul began his address in Mandarin Chinese, symbolizing his respect for Taiwan. The American Congressional delegation seized the opportunity to meet with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on the seventh day of his term on their second visit to Taiwan in more than a year.
President Lai expressed his gratitude, emphasizing that they were the first American Congressional delegation to visit Taiwan since he took office. He acknowledged that this visit is a tangible display of support for the new government and the people of Taiwan.
The delegation's trip focused on military financing and arms sales, especially in light of recent Joint Sword-2024A Chinese military maneuvers near Taiwan. McCaul underscored the purpose of their visit: to signal solidarity between the United States and the people of Taiwan and to uphold the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
President Lai expressed his admiration for former President Reagan's philosophy of peace through strength and pledged to pursue reforms to enhance Taiwan's capabilities in defending its homeland. Lai also thanked the U.S. Congress for its strong support and discussed concerns over delayed deliveries of approximately US$19 billion worth of arms sales to Taiwan, aiming to ensure appropriate assistance to bolster Taiwan's defense capabilities and deter any aggression from China.
Fil Leskovsky for RTI News