WASHINGTON – United States Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-chairs of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, recognized Taiwan on their 107th National Day.
“…our two peoples are bound by shared interests and values—namely, our commitments to democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and free enterprise. We appreciate that freedom, security, and the exchanges of ideas, goods, and services are keys not only to a prosperous United States and a prosperous Taiwan, but also to a prosperous Indo-Pacific region and a prosperous world,” the senators write.
They continue, “In the coming year, we look forward to working with you to build on this legacy to increase our economic ties, to improve our collective security, and to strengthen the abiding friendship and partnership between our peoples. Taiwan is, and always will be, one of our most important partners in the region.”
View the full letter here and below:
October 10, 2018
Her Excellency Tsai Ing-wen
President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
No. 122, Sec. 1, Chongqing South Road, Zhongzeng District
Taipei City 10048, Taiwan
Dear Madam President:
As the Co-Chairs of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, we send our congratulations and best wishes to you and the people of Taiwan as you celebrate Taiwan’s 107th National Day. As longstanding friends of Taiwan, we join you in celebrating the history and importance of this day.
As you know, our two peoples are bound by shared interests and values—namely, our commitments to democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and free enterprise. We appreciate that freedom, security, and the exchanges of ideas, goods, and services are keys not only to a prosperous United States and a prosperous Taiwan, but also to a prosperous Indo-Pacific region and a prosperous world.
We believe Congress took a small but meaningful step toward deepening those bonds between our two governments with the enactment of the Taiwan Travel Act earlier this year. That Act calls for liberalizing travel to enable high level bilateral meetings between officials to take place in both countries and for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and other Taiwanese instrumentalities to be able to conduct business in the United States with less bureaucratic red tape. In our view, there is no better way to build understanding and friendship than through face-to-face meetings between counterparts.
As our ties only deepen and strengthen, we are also mindful that Taiwan is facing a direct challenge to its democracy and security. That is why it was important that the United States reaffirmed its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as the bedrock of United States-Taiwan relations through the recently enacted National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2019. We are proud of the role the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 and the Six Assurances of 1982 played and continue to play in contributing to the success of Taiwan and its people.
In the coming year, we look forward to working with you to build on this legacy to increase our economic ties, to improve our collective security, and to strengthen the abiding friendship and partnership between our peoples. Taiwan is, and always will be, one of our most important partners in the region. Our friendship and familial ties, reflected by the many National Day celebrations that will take place in Taiwanese-American communities here in the United States, will continue to flourish in the coming years, and will long endure. Again, our best wishes to you and to the people of Taiwan on this important day.
Sincerely,