Interior Alaska News

U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Tammy Duckworth have extended their congratulations to the people of Taiwan following the recent democratic elections. The elections resulted in a historic third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party, led by President-elect Lai Ching-te and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim. This party is known for favoring strong ties with the United States.

The senators, who previously visited Taiwan in 2021 to deliver COVID-19 vaccines, issued a statement on the election results: “Congratulations to the people of Taiwan on their elections. We look forward to working with the new President, William Lai Ching-te, his government and all the freely-elected representatives of Taiwan."

They also highlighted a recent Senate resolution commending Taiwan on this occasion: “Just two days ago, the Senate unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by nearly half its members commending Taiwan on this historic occasion. The ties between the U.S. and Taiwan are deep and strong. They have held fast for more than 70 years—thanks in no small part to the U.S. Senate and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) it passed in 1979."

The statement emphasized the importance of supporting Taiwanese democracy amid challenges from external forces: “It is critical that America stand with Taiwan because Taiwanese democracy has a challenge that others do not. It is under persistent, severe threat from the Chinese Communist Party and its military. Even during Taiwan’s election—in fact, because of its elections—it was forced to deal with attempts at coercion."

Despite these challenges, they praised Taiwan's resilience: “To Taiwan’s great credit, it resisted."

Finally, they called for continued cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan: “The U.S. must continue to work hand-in-glove with Taiwan and use all instruments of national power to preserve peace in the region.”