《TAIPEI TIMES》US committed to Taiwan: ex-officials

FIRM SUPPORT: The US’ commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid, principled and bipartisan, Stephen Hadley said, adding that ‘the US would stand with its friend’

By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter, with CNA

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Visiting former US officials yesterday reaffirmed the US’ rock-solid commitment to Taiwan, saying that the US is to keep working with Taiwan for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Former US national security adviser Stephen Hadley made the remarks during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） at the Presidential Office in Taipei.

Hadley and former US deputy secretary of state James Steinberg arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a post-election visit in a private capacity, the American Institute in Taiwan said.

Hadley conveyed congratulations to Tsai and Taiwanese on the smooth completion of the nation’s presidential and legislative elections on Saturday.

Taiwan’s democracy has set a shining example for the world and is a democratic success story based on transparency, rule of law, respect for human rights and freedom, he said.

The US’ commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid, principled and bipartisan, he said, adding that “the US would stand with its friend.”

Hadley said that he looked forward to seeing Taiwan and the US continue to deepen their relations to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait under the new government.

Steinberg said that Tsai’s leadership in the past eight years has been admirable, as it has benefited Taiwanese, significantly advanced the partnership between Taiwan and the US, and contributed to regional peace and stability.

The US’ Taiwan policy has remained consistent for a long time, supporting the informal but friendly relations between the two sides, he said.

The US maintains that cross-strait issues should be resolved through peaceful means and that any unilateral change to the “status quo” should be avoided, he said, adding that the approach is in the interest of all regional parties.

Tsai thanked the delegation for demonstrating the US’ support for Taiwan’s democracy through their visit, adding that she hoped to see Taiwan-US relations continue to deepen and become an important driving force for regional and global prosperity and development.

The delegation later yesterday met with president-elect William Lai （賴清德） and vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim （蕭美琴） at Democratic Progressive Party headquarters in Taipei.

Lai said that “democracy and freedom are the most valuable assets of the Taiwanese people,” as well as core values shared by Taiwan and the US, and the foundation of the stable relations between the two sides.

Sending congratulatory messages to him and Hsiao right after the elections on Saturday and a delegation of senior US representatives to Taiwan is “hugely meaningful” to the nation, as it shows firm support for Taiwan’s democracy and demonstrates close Taiwan-US ties, Lai said.

He vowed to lead Taiwan on the foundations laid by Tsai, safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Leading up to the inauguration ceremony in May, the government would continue to provide a solid foundation for the new government to take over seamlessly, he said.

Meanwhile, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi yesterday said that Taiwan is an important friend of Japan and vowed to deepen Japan-Taiwan ties.

“Taiwan is an extremely important partner and dear friend of our country, with whom we share fundamental values and have close economic ties and people-to-people exchanges,” Hayashi told a news conference.

Japan is to maintain its “working relationship on a non-governmental basis” with Taiwan while striving to further deepen cooperation and exchanges between the two sides, he said.

The Japanese government has long maintained that cross-strait disputes should be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means, and calls for regional peace and stability, he added.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES