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Tsai holds closed
meeting with powerbrokers in US
‘IMPRESSIVE’: Sources said the DPP chairperson
knocked the socks off US congressional officials as she talked about the
long-term relationship between the US and Taiwan
By William Lowther / Staff Reporter in Washington
Democratic Progressive Party
Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen is presented with a US flag during a congressional
reception on Wednesday night in Washington.
Photo: CNA
Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson
Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday held closed-door talks in Washington with
members of the administration of US President Barack Obama, defense officials,
senators and members of Congress from both parties to discuss the future of
US-Taiwan relations.
Participants in the meeting later refused to comment on the substance of the
talks, but a US Department of State source said that they had gone well and that
US officials had been impressed by Tsai’s “eloquence.”
A congressional source said that Tsai had been “impressive” and that she had
worked hard to convince US officials that a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
administration would not unnecessarily provoke Beijing.
“We could work with her. She has a pragmatic approach and understands the
reality of the situation,” the source told the Taipei Times.
At a crowded congressional reception on Wednesday night — about 20
representatives and senators from both sides of the aisle attended — Tsai
thanked the US Congress for its “commitments to the security of Taiwan,
particularly regarding arms sales that are so critical to our defense.”
“My party believes that today we need to engage in a national dialogue to
develop a full ‘Taiwan consensus’ that safeguards our sovereignty and brings us
to the table with any and all others as equal partners,” Tsai said.
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairman of the House of Representatives
Foreign Affairs Committee, heaped praise on Tsai and presented her with a US
flag that had been flown earlier in the day over the Capitol building as members
rushed forward to be photographed with her.
The reception, held in a committee room in the Rayburn House Office Building on
Capitol Hill, attracted officials ranging from American Institute in Taiwan
Chairman Raymond Burghardt to a frail-looking Senator Daniel Inouye, the
Democrat who chairs the Defense Appropriations Committee and who could be a
major ally in the fight to persuade US President Barack Obama to sell advanced
F-16C/D aircraft to Taiwan.
Also present was Representative to Washington Jason Yuan (袁健生), who delivered a
short speech praising democracy and appeared genuinely pleased to greet Tsai.
The reception was organized and hosted by the Formosa Association for Public
Affairs (FAPA), while FAPA executive Coen Blaauw acted as master of ceremonies.
“It is imperative that policymakers in Taiwan understand how Washington works,”
FAPA president Bob Yang (楊英育) said.
He said that thanks to Tsai’s leadership, the DPP was again a viable political
party ready to take the helm.
Tsai was scheduled to leave Washington for New York and Boston yesterday on a US
tour that will take her to Texas and California.
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