President Tsai to take pitch for strengthened US-Taiwan ties to two think tanks this week

Taiwan News
Date: 020/12/07
By: Micah McCartney, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is stepping up her engagement of influential think tanks affiliated with both major American parties while many in her country grapple with concerns President-elect Joe Biden will prioritize soothing a fraught U.S.-China relationship at Taiwan's expense.

On Wednesday evening (Dec. 9), Tsai is scheduled to speak via video-link at the year-end celebration of the right-wing Hudson Institute alongside Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton.

She will also deliver remarks virtually to the Democratic Party-leaning National Democratic Institute (NDI), according to Nikkei. NDI President and former Ambassador Derek Mitchell recently called Taiwan a model for its approach to combatting disinformation in the digital age, and in September, the Taiwanese Ministry of the Interior greenlit the think tank's application to open a representative office in Taipei.

Tsai’s pair of addresses follow her appearance at a Dec. 3 virtual summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is comprised of conservative state legislators. The ALEC awarded the Taiwanese head of state its International Pioneer Award for Leadership for “her international leadership and her strong commitment to free markets.” She was the second international leader to receive the accolade, with Margaret Thatcher being the first in 2006.
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