The United States Is Proud to Stand With the People of Taiwan

As member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Wednesday I continued my Indo-Pacific tour with a visit to Taiwan. There, I met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and participated in Taiwan's National Day ceremony as the first United States senator to attend in 35 years. I also joined in a press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu. Still photos of my visit are below.

At my meeting with President Tsai, I emphasized the importance of standing alongside Taiwan, especially as the Chinese Communist Party works to undermine Taiwan's freedom and democracy. After the meeting, I said:

"Standing up to Communist oppression and bullying is the essence of Taiwan's very existence. The Chinese Communist Party is terrified that their people will see how the people in Taiwan enjoy freedom and democracy, and theirs do not. It's important for America and the rest of the world to stand alongside Taiwan."

During the National Day celebration, I praised the men and women of Taiwan who continue to stand up against the oppression of the Chinese Communist Party:

"I'm here in Taiwan at Liberty Square, celebrating the men and women who have stood and continue to stand up against Chinese Communist oppression and for freedom. America is proud to be allies with the people of Taiwan. Today is the 10-10 National Day ceremony, and I'm here to celebrate America's strong friendship and alliance with the people of Taiwan."

At the press conference with Foreign Minister Wu on Wednesday, I discussed the significance of National Day and the role of our two countries in standing up for freedom, human rights, and democracy:

"Well Foreign Minister Wu, thank you very much for the kind hospitality. I want to thank the Taiwanese people for welcoming me here. I am honored to be here with you today. And I am particularly honored tomorrow to have the chance to join you in celebration of National Day the ‘Ten Ten' celebration. And this is a time when Taiwan's celebration is particularly important. This is a time where the repression of the Communist government in China has gotten worse. This is a time when the eyes of the world are focused on Hong Kong. And the people of Hong Kong demonstrating courage, standing up for democracy, standing up for freedom. And I want to commend Foreign Minister Wu for your clarity in speaking up for the rights of the men and women of Hong Kong and for the rights of democracy. Democracy matters. Human rights matters. And I'm in Taiwan because Taiwan recognizes the human rights of its citizens. Taiwan is built as a democracy."

Reinforcing the important friendship and alliance between the United States and Taiwan, I continued:

"The friendship between the United States and Taiwan is incredibly important. That's demonstrated by just how hard the Communist government in China works to try to undermine Taiwan. Since 2016, we've seen a number of Taiwan's diplomatic allies severing ties with Taiwan including Kiribati and Solomon Islands. Last year, El Salvador, Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic. All of those have done so because the Communist Party in China relies on economic coercion, incentives, and some cases economic blackmail to entice or coerce allies to move away from Taiwan."

Finally, I emphasized that the United States is proud to stand with the people of Taiwan, and will stand against efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to undermine Taiwan:

"Well I'll tell you this - the United States is not moving away. The United States is proud to stand with the people of Taiwan. And indeed I am a cosponsor of the Taipei Act in the Senate, that just passed unanimously in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with every Republican and every Democrat supporting it, underscoring that America stands with the people of Taiwan, and that we also will stand up against these Chinese efforts to undermine Taiwan. This is a friendship that is incredibly important. This is a military relationship that is incredibly important. This is an economic relationship that is incredibly important. And these are peoples - the American people and the Taiwanese people that are friends, allies, and I am proud to join you for the [National Day] celebration."

Watch the full press conference here.

Taiwan President Tsai and I. Photo Credit: President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Taiwan President Tsai and I. Photo Credit: President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Taiwan's National Day Celebration.

Taiwan's National Day Celebration.

Foreign Minister Wu and I. Photo Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)

This week, I have traveled to Pearl Harbor and Tokyo. While in Taiwan, I also called into CNBC's ‘Squawk Box'. Watch the full interview here. Stay tuned for more updates from my tour here.