AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger Remarks to
Diaspora Gala in Los Angeles
Wednesday April 5, 2023 at 7pm
– As Prepared for Delivery –
President Tsai, good evening. It is great to see you again as you head back to Taiwan after your productive visits to Guatemala and Belize. Representative Hsiao, Acting Governor Kounalakis, Members of Congress and the State Assembly, distinguished members of the Taiwanese-American community – Ladies and Gentlemen, it is wonderful to be here with you in Los Angeles, representing the American Institute in Taiwan.
In a similar gathering in New York last week, I said this opportunity to meet with Taiwanese Americans is a perfect way to start my tenure as the Chair of the Board of AIT. I appreciate this great opportunity to meet all of you. You are the business and civic-minded leaders who are fostering and growing the unofficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan.
Indeed, diaspora communities in California are so important that successive Taiwan presidents have stopped in Los Angeles to meet with you – 16 times in total. Your ongoing contributions are vital to both the diversity and prosperity of American society.
There are so many initiatives the U.S. and Taiwan are working on together, including in the economic, trade, education, and security sectors. But underpinning all these efforts are our shared values – with Taiwan standing as a beacon of democracy in the Indo-Pacific region – and a shared appreciation for our cultures, which makes us collectively richer. In short, Taiwan is a valued friend.
Our friendship was evident throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, where we supported one another in our time of need. And we are expanding people-to-people exchanges so that we can learn about each other’s language and culture, and even taste each other’s cuisine (like I did in New York where I ate the most amazing fan tuan and cong you bing — this is the type of care and hospitality that brings our communities closer together.
We’re close when it comes to economic ties, too. Taiwan is our 8th largest trading partner, and we continue to celebrate expanded commercial partnerships and investments from large and small Taiwanese companies, including from GlobalWafer and TSMC.
And, of course, the United States is committed to the cross-Strait status quo by helping Taiwan maintain its self-defense capabilities. Preserving peace and stability is the central and driving tenet of the United States’ long-standing unofficial relationship with Taiwan under our one China policy, which has been guided for over 40 years by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and Six Assurances. We know that people living on Taiwan care deeply about this issue, as do Americans.
President Tsai, thank you for the opportunity to spend time with you and your delegation. I look forward to visiting Taiwan!