Taipei Times
Date: 2015-06-02
By: CNA
The United States hopes to continue to deepen bilateral ties with Taiwan, which is an
Ma Ying-jeou, right, meets Charles Rivkin at the Presidential Office in Taipei, June 1. Photo/CNA)
important ally sharing common interests with the United States, Charles Rivkin, US assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, said Monday.
The United States has a special affection for the Taiwanese people and admires their effort in achieving prosperity and democracy, Rivkin said during a meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou.
Rivkin said Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, has shown the world that it can become a very important economy.
Pointing to the close economic relations between Taiwan and the US, he said that Taiwan has surpassed India and Saudi Arabia to become the United States’ 10th largest trading partner and that the United States has also surpassed Japan to become Taiwan’s second largest trading partner.
This is Rivkin’s first visit to Taiwan in his official capacity. [FULL STORY]
