Dr. Lin Chia-lung
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
December 13, 2024
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Good afternoon.
Welcome to the Taipei Guest House. Today’s garden party is particularly meaningful for Chairperson Yen and me as we are attending for the first time.
I would like to start by welcoming the newly appointed AIT officials and AIT/CLASS students. When you are not busy working and studying, I invite you to take time to explore Taiwan. This will not only improve your Mandarin, it will also help you enjoy the vibrancy of this land. This aspect of your training will be beneficial to both your careers and personal development. At least, this was my experience from studying in the United States some three decades ago.
I just got back from accompanying President Lai Ching-te to our diplomatic allies in the South Pacific. We transited through Guam and Hawaii. And so, I would like to express our appreciation to both AIT and the US government for having afforded our delegation a comfortable, cordial transit.
We congratulate Mr. Donald Trump and Mr. JD Vance on their recent election victory, and thank President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their efforts to further strengthen Taiwan-US relations. Democracy, freedom, and human rights are the shared values on which we pursue our mutual interest in maintaining regional stability and promoting economic prosperity.
Today, even as we consider all we have accomplished this year, we are looking ahead to working more closely with our friends at AIT in 2025 and beyond to further strengthen our robust partnership. This will be aided by the fact that there is strong bipartisan support for the relationship both in Taiwan and the United States.
My colleagues at the TCUSA and the Department of North American Affairs often tell me of the enormous assistance they receive from their counterparts at AIT when handling various issues. I would like to express my gratitude for all that our AIT friends have done for us under the leadership of Director Greene and Deputy Director Cornforth.
The holiday season is upon us. So, in closing, I wish you and your families a memorable Christmas in Taiwan. Thank you.