Press Release

Legislative Yuan

February 20, 2023

Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun meets US House delegation led by Representative Ro Khanna

You Si-kun: Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other. We are grateful for the US longstanding support to Taiwan.

Accompanied by Legislators Lo Chih-chen, Liu Shyh-fang, and Chen I-hsin; Taiwan People’s Party Whip Chiu Chen-yuan; New Power Party Whip Chiu Hsien-chih; Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Consultant Chou Ya-shu; Legislative Director Kung Ping-chieh; and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Roy Chun Lee, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun met and hosted a luncheon in honor of Representative Ro Khanna, Representative Jake Auchincloss, Representative Jonathan Jackson, and a delegation from the United States on the morning of February 21.

In remarks at the event President You began by stating that he was delighted to see good friends from the United States particularly as he had just returned from the country two weeks prior. On behalf of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, he extended a sincere welcome to the delegation. He also thanked the US for its longstanding support of Taiwan and for paying particular attention to and supporting Taiwan’s democratization. The United States is Taiwan’s most important trade partner, he said, as well as being a supporter of cross-strait peace and stability.

President You stated that Taiwan had endured the longest period of martial law, but that the nation’s first democratic opposition party since WWII had been founded in 1986. Thanks to the staunch support of the US Congress and others, Taiwan leader Chiang Ching-kuo was forced to announce the lifting of martial law on October 6, 1986. Later, a series of political reforms were carried out under President Lee Teng-hui, who was then acclaimed as “Mr. Democracy.” Taiwan has since experienced three transfers of political power between parties and enjoys democracy, a fact renowned the world over.

President You said that when the COVID-19 pandemic was intense in Taiwan in 2021, the United States had extended a helping hand by donating four million vaccine doses to protect the health of the people of Taiwan, who were very touched by this move. When Taiwan was excluded from international health organizations and meetings, Representative Khanna led a bipartisan effort to introduce the US-Taiwan Public Health Protection Act, which would establish a US-Taiwan Infectious Disease Monitoring Center. The contents of this bill were later included in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act adopted at the end of last year. In addition, Representatives Khanna and Jackson sent a joint letter in 2022 to support Taiwan’s participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and help Taiwan in its efforts to further its international participation. Representative Jackson has been paying attention to issues related to human rights and racial equality. President You expressed his heartfelt appreciation for their efforts.

President You then shared that Wang Yi, at the head of the Chinese delegation to the Munich Security Conference this year, had claimed, “Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. Taiwan has never been an independent country.” This, he said, was a serious distortion of the facts. Because of its strategic location, over the past 400 years, Taiwan has been occupied by the Dutch, the Spanish, Ming Dynasty ruler Zheng Chenggong, the Qing Dynasty, and Japan. In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel, author Jared Diamond, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, attests that the ancestors of over 200 million residents of places as far-flung as Madagascar in the west to Easter Island in the east have their origin in Taiwan.

President You further stated that the San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed by 49 countries and coming into force on April 28, 1952, is the legal framework by which to determine Taiwan’s status. According to Article 2 of that treaty, Japan renounced all right, title, and claim Taiwan and Penghu. The treaty does not determine the future of these islands. Therefore, China’s claim is void. Following comprehensive legislative elections, direct presidential elections, and three alternations of political party in power, Taiwan has become an independent, sovereign nation in line with the principles of national sovereignty and self-determination laid out in the UN Charter. Accordingly, President You said that it is an ironclad fact that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other and that Taiwan is by no means part of China.

President You continued by condemning China for ignoring the truth and making errant claims about Taiwan’s sovereignty and desiring to annex Taiwan. Such moves undermine Indo-Pacific stability and threaten international peace. President You stressed that Taiwan stands strong as a beacon of democracy in Asia and the Chinese-speaking world. Taiwan is also a catalyst for the democratization of China. As US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman said, the Taiwan Strait is an important navigation channel for the global economy. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would severely affect the global economy. Therefore, President You urged countries around the globe that uphold democracy and freedom to pay more attention to Taiwan and to promote cooperation with Taiwan.

Before concluding his remarks, President You once again thanked the US for its support of Taiwan. With the common language of democracy and freedom as a backdrop, he said, he hopes Taiwan and the US will ensure global peace, stability and development and engage in closer cooperation based on the framework of the five acts and Six Assurances.

In his remarks, Representative Ro Khanna thanked President You and Taiwan’s legislature for the warm welcome. He mentioned that he had been honored to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation founder Morris Chang to discuss the future development of semiconductors. Representing Silicon Valley, he said, he hopes to continue to promote innovation and cooperation in the high-tech and manufacturing sectors to benefit Taiwan, the US, and the entire world. He also mentioned that the news had lately carried information on President Jimmy Carter’s health situation. While in office, President Carter signed the Taiwan Relations Act into law in a bid to strengthen Taiwan-US relations. President Carter visited Taiwan in 1999, showing US commitment to supporting Taiwan’s democracy and freedom. He expressed his expectation of further close communication with legislators from various parties to strengthen economic and trade cooperation and to promote peace across the Taiwan Strait.  

After the remarks and an exchange of gifts, President You hosted a luncheon in honor of the delegation, during which the participants continued to exchange views on economic and trade cooperation, peace across the Taiwan Strait, and democracy. After the conclusion of the luncheon, President You presented the group photo to the members of the delegation and left the venue around 1:45 p.m.