On the evening of July 7, Legislative Yuan Vice President Dr. Johnny C. Chiang (江啟臣), accompanied by KMT Legislators Dr. Lai Shyh-Bao and Dr. Yang Chiung-Ying, DPP Legislators Chen Kuan-Ting and Kuo Yu-Ching, and TPP Legislator Dr. Hung Yu-Hsiang, hosted a dinner for a delegation led by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Raymond F. Greene, Director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT/T), also attended the dinner.
Vice President Chiang began by extending, on behalf of Legislative Yuan President Daniel K.Y. Han (韓國瑜), a warm welcome to Senator Duckworth on her return visit to Taiwan. He noted that legislators who had accompanied President Han on his visit to the United States in June had been specially invited to the dinner, providing an opportunity for both sides to renew their friendship. Vice President Chiang went on to say that since Senator Duckworth visited Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, she has led delegations to Taiwan almost every year and is one of Taiwan’s closest friends. He said that the steady development of Taiwan-U.S. relations has been made possible in large part by good friends such as Senator Duckworth, who have consistently worked to strengthen ties with Taiwan and offered their support. Describing the evening’s gathering as warm and heartfelt, much like a family reunion, Vice President Chiang expressed hope that the two sides would continue to deepen their longstanding friendship and further promote the steady development of Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Senator Duckworth thanked Vice President Chiang for his warm hospitality. She emphasized that her annual visits to Taiwan are intended to demonstrate her steadfast support for Taiwan through concrete action. She added that the U.S. Congress will continue to serve as a strong pillar of support for the Taiwan-U.S. partnership.
The two sides then engaged in extensive and in-depth exchanges on a range of issues, including nonstop flights between Taipei and Washington, D.C., cooperation in the drone industry, strengthening undersea cable security, energy resilience, and domestic political developments in the United States. The discussions took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The dinner lasted approximately 90 minutes and concluded on a positive note with an exchange of commemorative gifts. (2026/07/07)
