Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou's Second Inaugration

Floor Speech

Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou on his second inauguration, to take place on May 20, 2012.

The free and fair January election continued Taiwan's long tradition of being a strong and stable democracy. On October 10, 2011, Taiwan celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding. In the past century, Taiwan has matured into a free market, multi-party democracy that is a model for the world. Taiwan is an important partner in maintaining peace and stability in the region, and channels of communication have been open and smooth between Washington and Taipei.

As a proud member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, I have had the privilege to travel to Taiwan last year as part of a bipartisan delegation. I had the pleasure of meeting President Ma Ying-Jeou and other government officials. I was strongly encouraged by their commitment to maintaining strong ties with the United States.

As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am also pleased to note Taiwan's nomination for inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver, VWP, program in December 2011. A key step towards their VWP status came when a U.S. Department of Homeland Security team recently visited Taiwan to inspect the island's anti-terrorism and immigration procedures. I continue to support Taiwan's inclusion in key international organizations, and I believe we can set a strong example at home by granting these privileges.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating President Ma on his upcoming inauguration. I look forward to maintaining the strong U.S.-Taiwan relations under his leadership.

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