President Lai meets US House Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim

On the afternoon of July 31, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Chairwoman Young Kim of the United States House of Representatives' Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific. In remarks, President Lai thanked the bipartisan group of representatives for backing Taiwan, remarking that their actions embody the mutual support among democratic partners. The president stated that in addition to proposing a special budget for unmanned vehicle procurement, the government of Taiwan has responded to national defense needs in moving from drone R&D and testing to mass production. He noted that National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) also recently passed a rigorous cybersecurity assessment for the US defense supply chain, demonstrating Taiwan's ability to align with international standards. President Lai stated that Taiwan looks forward to working alongside the US to build secure and trustworthy non-red supply chains and promote drone industry development to enhance R&D and mass production capabilities among democratic partners.

A translation of President Lai's remarks follows:

Chairwoman Kim, the last time we met was in 2024. Your group was the first US congressional delegation that I received after taking office. It is a pleasure to see you again today as you lead this delegation to Taiwan. Your visit demonstrates the steadfast support for our country in the US Congress. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I express my sincerest welcome and gratitude to you all.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US and the 30th anniversary of Taiwan's first direct presidential election. Both of these democratic milestones remind us that freedom and democracy, in Taiwan and throughout the world, were hard-earned and must be safeguarded by generation after generation. I would like to thank this bipartisan group of representatives for backing Taiwan. Your actions embody the mutual support among democratic partners. I especially thank Chairwoman Kim for long championing Taiwan-friendly legislation in Congress, further deepening the Taiwan-US partnership and creating more space for cooperation.

Today, China continues to intensify military pressure on Taiwan and ramp up gray-zone aggression. Our stance has always been clear - we will neither provoke nor act rashly, nor will we yield or back down. We will staunchly maintain the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Peace is achieved through strength. We are committed to further increasing Taiwan's defense budget and bolstering whole-of-society defense resilience. We will also deepen collaboration with democratic partners, and demonstrate our determination and capacity to jointly deter aggression and respond to threats. For example, unmanned vehicles are becoming an indispensable force in modern defense, and countries are seeking secure and reliable supply sources. Taiwan, with its advantages in semiconductors, information and communications technology, and precision manufacturing, is seizing this important opportunity to develop its drone industry.

In addition to proposing a special budget for unmanned vehicle procurement, our government has responded to national defense needs in moving from drone R&D and testing to mass production. NCSIST also recently passed a rigorous cybersecurity assessment for the US defense supply chain, demonstrating Taiwan's ability to align with international standards and protect critical technologies. We look forward to Taiwan and the US working together to build secure and trustworthy non-red supply chains and promote drone industry development with our full strength. This will enhance R&D and mass production capabilities among democratic partners. It will also help us respond more quickly to national defense and international market needs.

From democratic values to regional security and technology cooperation, Taiwan is deeply grateful for the longstanding support of the US Congress and successive administrations; it is because of this enduring support that Taiwan has been able to come this far. I once again welcome Chairwoman Kim and our guests, who have traveled from afar to be here. Your visit further strengthens the solid foundation of Taiwan-US cooperation. I look forward to working together to make even greater contributions to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

Chairwoman Kim then delivered remarks, a transcript of which follows:

Thank you so much for joining us and welcoming our bipartisan delegation to Taiwan. Your generosity in hosting our congressional delegation today is very much appreciated, and we're very honored by your personal presence today. Our bipartisan delegation represents California, Virginia, Iowa, and Texas, and each of us are blessed to represent states with robust and growing economic and cultural ties with Taiwan. By traveling together, our goal is to show how congressional support for Taiwan is bipartisan and strong. We believe a secure and free Taiwan is critical for the security in the Indo-Pacific and for the United States.

We're here to face down the threat from the Chinese Communist Party, and the path forward is daunting, but we can overcome this challenge together. The more concrete steps that Taiwan takes, the more the United States can do to support Taiwan. Deterrence takes two to tango, so help us help you.

We want to congratulate the people of Taiwan on the steps taken so far in achieving peace through strength. Thank you for your commitment to increase defense spending to 5 percent of your GDP. The [US]$25 billion supplemental defense bill passed earlier this year is a major achievement. And we're encouraged that Taiwan is now considering new drone legislation. The wars over Ukraine and Iran show that Taiwan needs to buy and build drones at a huge scale. Time is short, and the faster a comprehensive drone bill can pass, the better.

But even a drones bill should not mark the end of Taiwan's efforts. Every new defense measure taken, including in strengthening Taiwan's military reserves, stiffens the resolve of free people everywhere against the malign intentions of the Chinese Communist Party.

Congress is doing its part, and we have expedited arms deliveries for Taiwan. We're working to ease Taiwan's inclusion in international organizations, support Taiwan's diplomatic partners, prepare economic options in a crisis, encourage bilateral tourism, and much more. These are the steps that we have taken to show Congress's continued support for Taiwan. Thank you again for hosting us here. We look forward to the substantive discussion today and to the rest of our delegation's visit to Taiwan.

The delegation also included US House of Representatives Members Suhas Subramanyam, Michael Cloud, and Randy Feenstra. The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene.