Taiwan President Lai Ching-te met with the “Visiting Delegation of the 70th United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo” this afternoon. Lai stated that he would lead the new government to continue deepening cooperation between Taiwan and the United States, in order to maintain regional peace and stability together, and promote global prosperity and development.
In his speech, Lai Ching-te first welcomed former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Taiwan. After the end of the January election this year, Pompeo was the first to congratulate him, Vice President Hsiao Mei-chin, and the people of Taiwan. Lai Ching-te expressed gratitude to Pompeo for his long-standing support for Taiwanese democracy and his contributions to enhancing Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Lai Ching-te pointed out that during Pompeo’s tenure, he not only initiated the Taiwan-U.S. “Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue,” but also lifted restrictions on exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S., promoted high-level visits between the two sides, and facilitated close exchanges in areas such as democracy, economy, education, and public health.
“Pompeo is our steadfast friendly partner, and this is believed to be because democracy and freedom are not only the most precious assets of the Taiwanese people but also the core values shared between Taiwan and the United States. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, and we look forward to the partnership between Taiwan and the United States continuing to expand on a substantive basis,” said Lai Ching-te.
Lai Ching-te mentioned that last month, U.S. President Biden signed the “2024 National Security Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act,” which provides various security initiatives for countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan. This action further strengthens the security partnership between Taiwan and the United States following the “2024 Fiscal Year Consolidated Appropriations Act.”
Lai Ching-te stated that he would lead the new government to continue deepening cooperation between Taiwan and the United States. He also hoped that the new government would receive Pompeo’s unwavering support; Taiwan and the United States will work together to maintain regional peace and stability and promote global prosperity and development.
Finally, Lai Ching-te once again thanked Pompeo for coming from afar and looked forward to both sides working together for a friendly future between Taiwan and the United States.
In his speech, Pompeo first expressed sincere congratulations to President Lai Ching-te. He stated that President Lai’s inaugural speech on the 20th was very successful, outlining not only a vision for Taiwan but also mentioning Taiwan’s global status and the important relationship between Taiwan and the United States. He was pleased to see President Lai reaffirm Taiwan’s focus on peace and prosperity because Taiwan plays a crucial role globally.
Pompeo congratulated the Taiwanese people on successfully completing a significant election and looked forward to seeing Taiwan’s performance in the future. The bipartisan stance of the United States standing with the Taiwanese people will not change. Lastly, he wished President Lai a smooth journey ahead and looked forward to him continuing to benefit the Taiwanese people in his new role.
Today’s guests also included Hudson Institute China Center Director Maochun Yu. They were accompanied by Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, who came to meet President Lai Ching-te at the Presidential Office. Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Meng-an Pan and Secretary-General of the National Security Council Joseph Wu were also present.