On Monday, as the new Taiwanese government took office, Taiwan and the United States vowed to maintain cooperation in security, trade, and technology.
After serving as vice president for four years, Lai Ching-te officially succeeded Tsai Ing-wen as the President of Taiwan. Just hours after the swearing-in ceremony, Lai Ching-te met with a delegation sent by U.S. President Biden.
In his speech, Lai Ching-te expressed his desire to enhance the “rock-solid” relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan through more bilateral cooperation.
“We look forward to the U.S. executive branch and Congress continuing to support various cooperation in bilateral security, economic and trade, and technology fields on the solid foundation of mutual trust between Taiwan and the United States, so that the rock-solid partnership between Taiwan and the U.S. can reach new heights,” he said.
Former White House economic advisor Brian Deese reiterated the United States’ commitment to developing and deepening the relationship between the two countries, stating that “the U.S. is committed to building a close partnership with you and your government to develop and deepen the relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan. The U.S.-Taiwan partnership is stronger than ever before.”
“The U.S. commitment to Taiwan is profound, bipartisan, evidenced-based, and unchangeable. This is the culmination of Taiwan’s continued responsible and pragmatic attitude and its actions in the region and on the world stage, leading to common priorities between the U.S. and Taiwan,” he added.
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage stated, “The United States will continue to fulfill our long-standing commitment to enable Taiwan to maintain its effective self-defense capabilities.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated President Lai Ching-te in a statement, expressing the U.S.’ expectation to work with him to “advance our shared interests and values, deepen our longstanding unofficial relationships, and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
President Lai Ching-te also met with a delegation from Japan after his official swearing-in ceremony, affirming the relationship between the two nations.
The widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Akie Abe, also attended Lai Ching-te’s inauguration ceremony, expressing her hope to “strive to be a bridge between Taiwan and Japan.”
According to local media reports, the Japanese delegation was the largest delegation at Lai Ching-te’s inauguration ceremony.
(This article is referenced from a report by Reuters)