[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    C. J. CHEN, TECRO REPRESENTATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, C. J. Chen soon will be concluding his 
term as Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural 
Representative Office (``TECRO''). In this capacity C. J. Chen has 
spent the past four years as Taiwan's unofficial ambassador to the 
United States, an important posting and a critical position for the 
twenty-three million people on Taiwan.
  Few diplomats have a greater understanding about East Asia and the 
United States than C. J. Chen. He has been a member of Taiwan's foreign 
service for more than three and one half decades, and he has spent most 
of that time focused on fostering ties between Taiwan and the United 
States. By all accounts, he has done an excellent job.
  Representative Chen's diplomatic career has been most impressive. He 
has held a number of important positions in Taiwan's Ministry of 
External Affairs and capped his long diplomatic career in Taipei by 
being named Foreign Minister. During the past four years while serving 
as head of TECRO, Representative Chen has used his vast experience to 
preserve and expand ties between Taipei and Washington. Representative 
Chen's advice and counsel have always been sought by Members of 
Congress who have a keen interest in matters involving the Taiwan 
Straits. Therefore, his impending departure is a loss for Taiwan's 
friends in Washington.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I wish Representative Chen and his 
lovely wife Yolanda well as they prepare to return to Taipei for new 
challenges. I look forward to seeing him again in Taipei or when he 
returns to Washington in the months ahead.

                          ____________________