Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan told a Washington, DC crowd that the US must stand with Taiwan to counter a rising China.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/03/06
By: Milo Hsieh

Taoyuan mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is on a visit to the United States, spoke on Tuesday evening at the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church near Washington, DC. The talk, hosted by the Baltimore and Washington chapters of the DC Taiwan Association in America, included a speech and a presentation by Mayor Cheng.

Cheng, a popular Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) mayor who recently emphasized his support for incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), told the assembled audience that he appreciated the U.S. standing in support of Taiwan – and that its support must continue to protect democracy in the shadow of the Chinese authoritarian regime.

Cheng started with a report of what he did in the capital city of the United States. Throughout the day and prior to the talk, he visited four major U.S. think tanks: Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Brookings Institute, Hudson Institute and the conservative Heritage Foundation. He met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy and discussed pressure from Beijing as well as U.S.-Taiwan relations ahead of the 40-year anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which governs unofficial ties between Washington and Taipei.

Cheng also met with two U.S. senators: Todd Young, a Republican, and Tim Kaine, a Democrat and Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016. Cheng said he also visited the White House, although he did not specify who he met.    [FULL  STORY]