For Immediate Release
Washington DC – April 4, 2023
Contact: (202) 547-3686
WHY TAIWAN MATTERS – TAIWAN’S PRESIDENT TSAI ING-WEN SHOULD BE INVITED TO WASHINGTON DC
By: Minze Chien, National President, Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA)
April 4, 2023
Today, April 4, 2023, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen arrives in Los Angeles for a transit stop on her way back to Taiwan from Central America. On April 5, President Tsai will attend a bipartisan meeting with members of Congress hosted by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
As the democratically elected president of Taiwan, a sovereign independent democratic country, it is only logical that President Tsai is next invited to the United States’ capital Washington DC.
There are zero legal restrictions to such a visit. After all, the Taiwan Travel Act was signed into U.S. law in March 2018, effectively lifting all restrictions on high-level visit from and to Taiwan. Prior to that, the bill had passed unanimously in both houses of U.S. Congress.
Additionally, such a visit to Washington DC would be consistent with longstanding U.S. policy versus Taiwan and with the provisions of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act ― the “Law of the Land.”
WHY TAIWAN MATTERS
Strategic Importance
It is no secret that it is China’s ambition to power project into the Pacific. Taiwan’s east coast forms the perfect natural harbor for such an endeavor. It is critically important for the U.S. and for the rest of the free world that we keep Taiwan Free, and that Taiwan does not become a Chinese “unsinkable aircraft carrier.”
Taiwan straddles the major sea-lanes from Japan and South Korea in Northeast Asia to the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia in Southeast Asia. 50 percent of commercial container traffic passes through the Taiwan Strait every day. Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is therefore of great importance for free trade in the region.
Critical U.S. Trade Partner
Taiwan is the U.S.’ 9th largest goods trading partner with $90.6 billion in total (two way) goods trade during 2020, and the U.S. trade in services with Taiwan (exports and imports) totaled $15.2 billion in the same year. Undoubtedly, Taiwan is an important source of job creation for the United States. In 2022, the U.S. absorbs 15.7% of all Taiwan exports. This economic partnership continues to grow.
In June 2022, the two sides launched the “U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade” to boost their economic and trade relationship. Hopefully, the negotiations under this new trade initiative will establish a foundation to negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). We believe that a U.S.-Taiwan FTA would be beneficial for both countries’ economic and strategic interests, especially on securing critical supply chain, reducing Taiwan’s trade dependence on China, and maintaining U.S. economic influence in the region.
Economic Powerhouse
According to the World Trade Organization, Taiwan was the 16th largest exporter and 17th largest importer of merchandise in 2021. It was also one of the largest holders of foreign exchange reserves as of December 2021. Taiwan’s gross domestic product per capita reached US$33,011 in 2021.
Taiwan has become an important U.S. partner in trade and investment, health, semiconductor and other critical supply chains, investment screening, science and technology, education, and advancing democratic values.
Taiwan produces over 60% of the world’s semiconductors and over 90% of the most advanced ones. They are the chips that power everything from mobile phones to electric cars. No company is more singularly important to the global economy than TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). TSMC’s advanced microchips are indispensable to iPhones, medical devices, missile launch platforms, and many other technologies.
Democracy
The people of Taiwan have achieved a remarkable political transformation from an authoritarian regime under the rule of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) from the 1940s through the 1980s, to a free and vibrant democracy today.
Taiwan is a shining beacon of democracy for countries around the world to emulate. It would be a blatant violation of international law and basic democratic principles if Taiwan were forced to be annexed by a totalitarian and aggressive Chinese Communist regime. This would set the cause of democracy and human rights in Asia backward for decades to come.
CONCLUSION
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen’s current term will expire in May 2024. She is term-limited. It is therefore prudent that the U.S. ― the leader of the free world ― honors her and her country Taiwan by granting her a visit to Washington DC before her term expires.
We ask that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invite her to Washington DC within the next twelve months.
When in Washington DC, she will be able to not only celebrate with elected officials the best U.S.-Taiwan relationship in history we are witnessing today, but also discuss why Taiwan matters. In other words: the critical strategic, economic and democratic importance of Taiwan to the United States and the free world in general.
It goes without saying that enabling President Tsai to address a joint session of Congress would be even more effective in that respect.
Surely, China’s strongman Xi Jinping would protest Ms. Tsai’s trip to Washington. But the U.S. should never allow the Chinese to dictate who can or cannot come to the Nation’s Capital.
台灣為何重要：台灣總統蔡英文應被邀請訪問美國華府
作者：簡明子，台灣人公共事務會總會長
2023年4月4日
今天，2023年4月4日，台灣總統蔡英文從中美洲回程台灣途中，將抵達洛杉並展開過境行程。4月5日，蔡總統並將出席由美國聯邦眾議院議長麥卡錫（Kevin McCarthy）於加州雷根總統圖書館所主辦的跨黨派會談。
身為台灣這個主權獨立民主國家的民選總統，蔡總統接下來應被邀請訪問美國首都華盛頓特區，方為合理。
此種訪問並無任何美國法律上的限制。畢竟，台灣旅行法於2018年3月經簽署成為美國法律後，已有效解除對台灣高層訪問的所有限制。在此之前，該法案經由美國國會兩院一致通過。
此外，蔡總統的訪問華府也符合美國對台政策的長期方針以及1979年《台灣關係法》（美國現行「國內法」）的規定。
台灣為何重要
戰略重要性
眾所周知，中國具有向太平洋擴張的野心。而台灣的東海岸恰好提供了完美的天然港口。因此，對於美國及自由世界的其他國家來說，保持台灣的自由至關重要，以避免台灣成為中國所佔據的一艘「永不沉沒的航空母艦」。
台灣位居橫跨東北亞日本和南韓到東南亞的菲律賓、印度尼西亞和馬來西亞的主要海上航線。每天，全球有高達50%的貨櫃船通過台灣海峽。因此，維持台灣海峽的和平與穩定對該地區的自由貿易無比重要。
美國的重要貿易夥伴
在2020年，台灣是美國的第9大貨品貿易夥伴，貨品貿易總額（雙向）達906億美元；同年，美國與台灣的服務貿易（出口與進口）總額為152億美元。無疑地，台灣為美國提供了一個重要的就業創造來源。2022年，美國市場占台灣整體出口比重達15.7％。而這種台美經濟夥伴關係更是持續發展。
2022年6月，兩國啟動了「21世紀美台貿易倡議」，以提升雙邊的經貿關係。同時希望，在此新的貿易倡議下所進行的談判，可為將來的雙邊自由貿易協定（FTA）奠定談判的基礎。我們相信，美台FTA將增進兩國的經濟和戰略利益，特別是在確保關鍵供應鏈安全、減少台灣對中國的貿易依賴、以及維持美國在區域的經濟影響力等方面。
經濟強國
根據世界貿易組織的數據，台灣是2021年全球第16大商品出口國及第17大商品進口國。截至2021年12月，台灣也是最大的外匯存底持有國之一。2021年，台灣的人均國內生產毛額（GDP）達到3萬3011美元。
台灣已成為美國在貿易和投資、健康、半導體和其他關鍵供應鏈、投資審查、科技、教育、以及推進民主價值等方面的重要夥伴。
台灣生產了全球60％以上的晶片和超過90％的最先進晶片。這些晶片驅動著從手機到電動車等所有產品。對於全球經濟來說，沒有任何一家公司比台積電（台灣積體電路製造公司）更加重要。台積電的先進晶片對iPhone、醫療設備、導彈發射平台和許多其他技術都是不可或缺的關鍵零件。
民主
從 1940 年代到 80 年代中國國民黨統治下的威權體制，發展成為今日自由且充滿活力的民主政體，台灣人民實現了令人驚歎的政治轉型。
台灣是值得世界各國效法的民主典範。若台灣被高度極權且具侵略性的中國共產政權所武力併吞，這將是對國際法及基本民主原則的公然藐視與踐踏。這也將使亞洲的民主和人權事業整整倒退數十年。
結論
台灣總統蔡英文的任期有限，且將於2024年5月屆滿。在蔡總統卸任之前，美國做為自由世界的領袖，允許她訪問其首都華盛頓特區，以表彰她及她的國家台灣，將是個明智之舉。
我們要求美國眾議院議長麥卡錫及參議院多數黨領袖舒默（Chuck Schumer），在未來十二個月內邀請她訪問華府。
在拜訪華府期間，蔡總統不僅能與美國國會議員與民選官員共同慶祝我們今日所見證的史上最佳美台關係，並且能一起討論台灣為何重要，亦即：台灣對美國與整個自由世界的關鍵戰略、經濟和民主重要性。
更不用說，讓蔡總統在美國國會聯席會議上發表演說，在這方面將更具成效。
當然，中國的強人習近平必然會反對蔡英文訪問華府。但美國絕不應任由中國來恣意決定誰能或不能進入其國家的首都。
