[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13829-13830]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTURE OF TAIWAN REPRESENTATIVE C. J. CHEN

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, a good friend of ours, Ambassador C. 
J. (Chien-Jen) Chen, will soon be leaving Washington, DC, after having 
served for nearly 4 years as Taiwan's principal representative. We are 
going to miss him very much.
  C. J. brought a wealth of experience to his job. He was first 
assigned to Washington, DC in 1971, and he spent most of his 
distinguished 37-year career promoting good relations between Taiwan 
and the United States. Over the years, he won many friends for himself 
and for his country. An eloquent speaker and polished diplomat, C. J. 
also has a reputation for being a ``straight shooter.'' He was always 
prepared to provide an informed, balanced, and fair opinion on the 
complex relationship between Taiwan and the United States as well as 
the broad range of political, economic, cultural and other issues of 
common interest to our two countries.
  Owing in large part to his efforts, much progress has been made on 
these issues. During his most recent assignment in Washington, with 
U.S. support, Taiwan has acceded to the World Trade Organization and 
become our eighth largest trading partner. At the same time, Taiwan has 
also contributed greatly to U.S.-led international humanitarian efforts 
in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq, and it has cooperated with the 
United States in

[[Page 13830]]

fighting proliferation, terrorism, and money laundering in Asia. All 
these matters required intensive communication and coordination, and we 
were lucky to have someone like C. J. in place to lead the way.
  One of the most notable and likeable things about C. J. is his 
inexhaustible optimism. While the U.S.-Taiwan relationship has 
certainly experienced its fair share of twists and turns, ups and 
downs, as C. J. will surely attest, he has always remained consistently 
upbeat. His confidence is contagious, and I agree wholeheartedly with 
his observation, that Taiwan and the United States, united by shared 
values and common interests, will continue to work closely together, 
not only for their mutual benefit but also for the sake of lasting 
peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.
  Now, after having served as his chief representative in the United 
States, as his country's foreign minister, as member of Taiwan's 
Legislative Yuan, and as a university professor, this man of 
extraordinary talent and vision is leaving Washington, DC. While he 
will be sorely missed, I am certain that he has established an 
admirable legacy of friendship, trust, and cooperation that will long 
endure.

                          ____________________