AIT chair reaffirms Taiwan-U.S. ties during visit to Legislature

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) Relations between the United States and Taiwan have been successful because it is an issue that transcends party lines on both sides, Laura Rosenberg, chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said Wednesday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

For example, the U.S.' enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act 45 years ago was a bipartisan effort, Rosenberger said during her speech, before going into a closed-door meeting with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

In her speech, Rosenberger congratulated the newly elected members of the Legislature, including Speaker Han, and she commended Taiwan and its people for the free and fair elections held on Jan. 13, which she said was an indication of Taiwan's role as a beacon of democracy in the region and the rest of the world.

Commenting on the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Taiwan earlier in the morning, Rosenberger said she hoped Taiwan's first responders would have good news and that the people of Taiwan would be safe.

"As a close friend of Taiwan, our thoughts are always with the Taiwan people in times like this," she said.

In turn, Han told Rosenberger that 72 of the 113 Taiwanese lawmakers are members of the Legislative Yuan U.S.A. Caucus, which he said was an indication of their enthusiasm for exchanges with the U.S.

Han said that U.S. President Joe Biden's emphasis on the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait during his State of the Union address in March was reassuring to the people of Taiwan, particularly in the period before President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) takes office in May.

Although lawmakers of the different political parties usually have their disagreements, they always manage to put aside their differences on matters of national defense and foreign affairs, the speaker added.

Rosenberger, who arrived in Taiwan on March 31 on a week-long visit, met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office on Monday.

The AIT chairwoman is also scheduled to meet with several scholars and political figures across party lines to discuss continued Taiwan-U.S. collaboration on issues of mutual interest, according to the AIT, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan.

Those issues include regional security, bilateral trade and investment, and "people-to-people educational and cultural ties," the AIT said in a press release.