Taiwan’s democracy shows better path for Chinese people, says former House speaker Paul Ryan
- Republican politician reaffirms US support for island at event to mark 40th anniversary of Taiwan Relations Act
Former US House speaker Paul Ryan praised Taiwan’s embrace of democracy at a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen during an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.
The act commits Washington to maintaining substantive ties with the self-ruled island and to supply it with defensive weapons after it switched formal diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.
The legislation was passed in response to demands by pro-Taipei congressman for the US to keep the island as an informal ally that would support US interests in the region.
“The US-Taiwan partnership is a rare issue on which there is a consensus from both sides of the aisle, and the Taiwan Relations Act was one of those transcendent moments when Congress did exactly what it was designed to do, and as a result, strong bipartisan support for Taiwan has endured for four decades thereafter,” said Ryan.
Ryan, who led a group to Taiwan on Monday to represent the US at the anniversary celebration in the de facto American embassy, praised Tsai’s efforts to uphold democracy and freedom, saying the island’s embrace of democracy “shows a better path for all the Chinese people” and for “all people wherever they call home”.