Pelosi Statement on Congressional Delegation Visit to Taiwan

by Nancy Pelosi

Taipei, Taiwan – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement on the Congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan:

“Our Congressional delegation’s visit should be seen as a strong statement that America stands with Taiwan.  We came to Taiwan to listen to, learn from and show our support for the people of Taiwan, who have built a thriving Democracy that stands as one of the freest and most open in the world.

“Taiwan is a very special place: a key ally in peace and security, a global leader in economic dynamism and a model of democratic governance.  Throughout our visit, we highlighted Taiwan’s many successes on those three important priorities.  On security: we reaffirmed Congress’ ongoing commitment to helping Taiwan defend its freedom in the face of aggression.  On economy: we conveyed how our CHIPS and Science Act will go a long way to strengthening both our economies, as well as expressed our support for a 21st Century trade framework.  On governance: we congratulated them on their robust response to the pandemic, one of the most successful in the world.  We will continue our work together on our priorities, including collaborating to combat the climate crisis, which is an imperative for our mutual security, economic growth and to honor our responsibility to future generations.

“Sadly, Taiwan has been prevented from participating in global meetings, most recently the World Health Organization, because of objections by the Chinese Communist Party.  While they may prevent Taiwan from sending its leaders to global forums, they cannot prevent world leaders or anyone from traveling to Taiwan to pay respect to its flourishing Democracy, to highlight its many successes and to reaffirm our commitment to continued collaboration.

“During our visit, our delegation had the privilege of holding two bilateral meetings with the very impressive President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.  We also had an interparliamentary meeting with Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Tsai Chi-chang and leaders of other parties in the Parliament.  Our meetings were very positive and productive.

“In the community, it was very inspiring for us to meet with advocates for human rights in China at the National Museum of Human Rights.  While in Taipei, it was my humble honor to receive the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon, which I treasure as an enduring symbol of friendship between America and Taiwan.  As I said upon receiving the award, our partnership remains unwavering, and support in the Congress – House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans – remains ironclad.

“This visit is part of our broader travels in the Indo-Pacific, focused on security, prosperity and governance – on which Taiwan is a global leader.  America’s solidarity with the people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as we continue to support the defense of democracy against autocracy in the region and in the world.”