Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is currently visiting Taiwan as part of his tour through the Asia-Pacific region. Before meeting with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday, Pence witnessed a strategic partnership launch between the Taipei Language Institute (TLI) and the Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) as he attended the TLI-PRF Global Alliance Forum. Pence called on President-elect Donald Trump to begin negotiations for a free trade agreement, renew military support, and voice U.S. support for Taiwan.
Mike Pence witnesses the TLI-PRF MOU signing with representatives Jason Ho (left) and Chad Pittman (center). (Photo: Tristan Hilderbrand)
Taking the podium, Pence first expressed his admiration for the people of Taiwan and their dedication to freedom. He highlighted the significance of his visit by underscoring the two nations’ shared democratic values, stating that he will always be a champion for a free and democratic Taiwan. Pence noted that while he no longer speaks for the U.S. government, he can say with absolute certainty that the American people cherish their relationship with the people of Taiwan.
Pence highlighted General Douglas MacArthur’s private memoranda written in the wake of World War II that expressed hope that Taiwan would be afforded an opportunity to develop its political future in an atmosphere unfettered by the dictates of a communist police state. Pence claimed that Taiwan's industrious character and its partnership with the U.S. enabled it to transform from a humble island economy into one of the most innovative and prosperous societies on the planet in just a few generations.
However, noting that he is meeting with the Taiwanese people in the shadow of increasing aggression by China, Pence stated that there is a broad and bipartisan agreement in D.C. that China represents the greatest strategic and economic threat facing the U.S. and its allies in the 21st century. Pence assured that the days of turning a blind eye to China’s trade abuses, military provocations, and human rights violations are over.
Former Vice President Pence speaking at the TLI-PRF Global Alliance Forum in Taipei on January 17. (Photo: Tristan Hilderbrand)
Pence explained that Taiwan holds strategic importance in the Indo-Pacific as a barrier to the expansion of communist influence. He said that abandoning Taiwan and allowing it to fall into the hands of the CCP would do more than betray the United States’ vow, it would endanger the security and prosperity of the U.S. and the free world.
Pence claimed that China’s subjugation of Taiwan will have profound ramifications far beyond geopolitics, impacting trade, technology, and nuclear proliferation. He detailed that by gaining a stranglehold over the global supply of semiconductors, China would leverage the power to extort trade concessions and force its will on countries throughout the world. He said such a subjugation would cause other Asian nations to lose confidence in American deterrence, escalating pressure for them to develop their own nuclear arsenal and increasing the risk of global nuclear confrontation.
Pence clarified that neither the U.S. nor Taiwan seeks to upend the existing order, adding that the U.S. supports the current state of affairs which has allowed Taiwan the flexibility to emerge as one of the world’s greatest economic powerhouses.
The former vice president claimed that Beijing is working to fictitiously paint Taiwan as the one undermining peace and stability in the region, and that the CCP wants Taiwanese people to doubt U.S. friendship and support. Pence stated that he came to Taiwan to dispel doubts and to call on the incoming administration to make U.S. support for Taiwan heard.
Pence assured that the United States seeks to keep peace, but would never abandon its allies across the Pacific. He called on President-elect Trump’s administration as well as other freedom loving nations in the world to urgently renew the commitment to providing Taiwan with the support it needs to defend itself and its freedom.
According to Pence, democracy remains the greatest guarantor of human dignity, and that the resolve of good people united in purpose, committed to the rule of law, is stronger than the ambitions of an authoritarian regime. In closing, he stated, “America stands with Taiwan.”