[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BAN AND THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SHERWOOD BOEHLERT

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2005

  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate President 
Chen Shui-ban and the people of Taiwan, as they celebrate the close of 
the 1st year of President Chen's second term in office.
  Taiwan and the United States share universal values of freedom, human 
rights, and democracy. Based on these common principles, our two 
countries work together closely politically and economically. Taiwan is 
our 8th largest trading partner, and we are Taiwan's largest trading 
partner. There are more than 270 direct flights between the United 
States and Taiwan every week and more than twenty eight thousand 
Taiwanese students currently studying in the United States. We hope 
that this relationship will become even closer in the years ahead, as 
President Chen continues his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, our colleagues here in the Congress have recently 
written a letter to Lee Jong-wook, Director General of the World Health 
Organization, asking him to support Taiwan's bid for observer status in 
the World Health Assembly, the WHO's governing body. Taiwan has a 
modern, world-class health care system and has lent its talent and 
resources to people in need throughout Asia and around the world. As 
such, Taiwan has much to contribute to global health and deserves a 
place under the WHO umbrella, and it is important that they be given 
the opportunity to do so.
  President Chen continues to call for resumption of dialogue between 
the PRC and Taiwan to ensure that any resolution of the ``Taiwan 
Question'' is through peaceful means. He remains committed to promoting 
the establishment of a peaceful and stable mechanism for cross-strait 
relations, a goal that we here in the Congress certainly share with 
him. Maintaining the status quo between the PRC and Taiwan is of 
paramount importance to the United States.
  Once again, I congratulate President Chen and his 23 million 
countrymen.

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