Former Vice President of Taiwan, Chen Chien-jen, visited San Francisco and delivered a speech at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center on September 7th, reviewing the domestic and foreign achievements of the Democratic Progressive Party’s eight years in power. He emphasized that Taiwan-U.S. relations are currently at a historic peak.
Titled “Taiwan’s Sustainable Democracy and the Summit of Taiwan-U.S. Friendship,” the speech was organized by the Northern California Taiwanese Association and attracted over 300 compatriots. Secretary-General of the Democratic Progressive Party representing President Lai Ching-te, Lin Yu-chang, delivered the opening speech at the event.
During the speech, former Vice President Chen Chien-jen expressed, “Virtue does not stand alone, there must be neighbors. We share values such as freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights, and humanitarian aid, which is why our two countries can collaborate.”
He mentioned that both Democratic and Republican members of Congress are very friendly towards Taiwan, and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are crucial to global prosperity, which is a consensus between Taiwan and the U.S.
Chen Chien-jen first reported to Taiwanese compatriots in the speech on the achievements of Taiwan in areas such as democratic freedom, transitional justice, pension reform, marriage equality, epidemic prevention model, industrial upgrade, investment innovation, fiscal health, wage increases and tax reductions, social housing construction, early childhood education, long-term care, social security, green energy, net-zero transition, national defense autonomy, international friendship, and sovereignty protection over the past eight years, supported by data from various internationally renowned research institutions.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in the “2023 Global Democracy Index” released on February 16, 2024, Taiwan ranked 10th globally and 1st in Asia among 167 countries, while China ranked 148th.
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in the United States published a report titled “Macroeconomic Outcomes and COVID-19: A Progress Report” in October 2020, showing that Taiwan not only had the lowest death rate globally but also the smallest GDP loss. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, while economies of other countries were generally declining, Taiwan’s GDP was growing positively.
In the past eight years, the Democratic Progressive Party has achieved significant results in domestic affairs and even more fruitful outcomes in diplomacy. Both major U.S. parties have shown unanimous support for Taiwan, maintaining close interactions in trade, investment, arms sales, and security cooperation.
On June 1, 2022, the U.S. and Taiwan launched the “U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade,” the most comprehensive trade agreement since the severance of diplomatic ties in 1979. On June 1, 2023, the two parties signed the initial trade agreement at the American Institute in Taiwan headquarters in Washington, D.C. and are currently negotiating on second-phase issues. Taiwan’s arms procurement process has been smooth, and the U.S. continues to provide Taiwan with free military aid. Chen Chien-jen expressed that, in his personal opinion, the period during the Democratic Progressive Party’s governance is indeed the “heyday of Taiwan-U.S. relations.”
Finally, he encouraged overseas Taiwanese to visit Taiwan more often, reconnect with their families, and continue to support Taiwan’s sustainable development.