Taiwan National Remembrance Day

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, our ally and friend in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, will celebrate their 103rd National Day on October 10th. Known as Double Ten Day, it celebrates the start of the Wuchang Uprising which ultimately led to the formation of Taiwan as we know it today.

Double Ten Day has the same significance to Taiwan as Independence Day does to us here in the United States. It is a day that people are able to celebrate and remember the sacrifices that led to creation of Taiwan. Both the U.S. and Taiwan are relatively new; in July we celebrated our 238th anniversary and Taiwan is celebrating their 103rd.

On this occasion, I would like to note how important Taiwan is to my home state of Oregon. Last year, Oregon exports to Taiwan reached $825.6 million. Taiwan became our 5th largest trading partner in Asia and the 7th largest in the world. From agriculture to machinery, Oregon products serve a large part of Taiwan's industries. There are more opportunities to capitalize on and I look forward to working to grow investments and exports to help both our peoples.

Again I wish a happy National Day to Taiwan. We look forward to continuing our friendship and partnership on the many issues that we both face.

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