Visiting U.S. Congressional delegation reaffirms support for Taiwan
ROC Central News Agency
04/15/2022 03:35 PM
Taipei, April 15 (CNA) U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, part of a senior Congressional delegation currently on a brief visit to Taipei, said Friday that the security of Taiwan had a global impact and that the U.S. would continue supporting Taiwan.
"As a co-chair of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, I am proud to be back to reaffirm our rock-solid relationship with Taiwan," said Menendez, who also chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office.
He said that the delegation's presence in Taiwan at a time when the world is focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent "a powerful message" to the Taiwanese people, adding "we understand that here in Taiwan, here in this region, this is where the future is."
Menendez, part of a delegation led by the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, Lindsey Graham, arrived in Taiwan Thursday evening as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region, which also includes stops in Australia and Japan.
According to Menendez, a former ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Chinese government had expressed its unhappiness to the delegation about its trip to Taiwan.
But Menendez said that the protestations "did not dissuade us from coming" and would "not dissuade us in the future in supporting Taiwan."
"With Taiwan producing 90 percent of the world's high-end semiconductor products, it is a country of global significance, of global consequence, of global impact. And therefore, it should be understood that the security of Taiwan has a global impact," Menendez said.
Graham echoed Menendez's views, saying that Taiwan was "indispensable to the digital economy for the world and the United States, and that "we hope to strengthen the [bilateral] ties even more economically."
"We are here to show support for what we love. We love freedom, we love the ability to achieve your individual dreams, we love the ability to pick our own leaders, we love the rule of law and we hate the rule of [the] gun," Graham said.
"It is often asked what would America do if the Chinese Communist Party became more provocative against Taiwan. I'm convinced we would stand for what we love. We would stand with you," Graham, who lost to former U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, said.
The South Carolina senator also accused China of having aided Russia in its invasion of Ukraine and launching cyberattacks against Taiwan's economy and its people.
He added, without elaborating, "we're going to start making China pay a greater price for what they're doing all over the world."
Meanwhile, President Tsai said that democracies must bolster their alliances and together defy the threats posed by authoritarian nations that seek to disrupt regional peace in light of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Tsai expressed hope that Taiwan would play "an active role" in the new Indo-Pacific Strategy proposed by the U.S. government and be part of the efforts to continue safeguarding regional peace and stability.
"Taiwan also looks forward to working with the U.S. to jointly promote economic cooperation and trade in the Indo-Pacific region, stimulating further prosperity," she added.
Speaking on the same topic, Senator Robert Portman, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said that the U.S. and Taiwan should negotiate a free trade agreement to further boost bilateral trade and economic ties.
After the meeting, the delegation also attended a luncheon hosted by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
It will meet with the Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) before concluding its visit Friday evening.
(By Teng Pei-ju)
Enditem/ASG
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