[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6665-6666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRATULATING PRESIDENT MA YING-JEOU OF TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2012

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate President Ma Ying-jeou 
on his inauguration to his second term as the leader of The Republic of 
China (Taiwan).
  Back in January of this year, the people of Taiwan reelected 
President Ma Ying-jeou and on May 20th he will have his second 
inauguration. President Ma has worked hard to maintain a peaceful 
relationship with China and his efforts must be recognized. The United 
States deeply appreciates his efforts to keep the peace, promoting 
stability in an important region.
  Over his first term, President Ma worked with the United States to 
continue Taiwan's longstanding security partnership with the United 
States, requesting to purchase and U.S. defense systems. I and my 
colleagues in Congress remain strong supporters of The Taiwan Relations 
Act, which spells out the relationship between the United States and 
Taiwan, and is critical to the peace and prosperity of the region.
  President Ma achieved acceptance from the World Health Organization 
for Taiwan to observe at the World Health Assembly, a significant step 
forward for Taiwan's international standing, and for the health of the 
people of the East-Asian and Pacific region. We should

[[Page 6666]]

work to encourage Taiwan's participation in participate in other 
international organizations such as the United Nations' International 
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
  I would also like to note that this also marks the 10th anniversary 
of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, of which I have been a proud member 
for years.
  President Ma has diligently maintained peace and stability and we 
look forward to his future term as it provides an opportunity to 
achieve even greater accomplishments for the people of Taiwan and 
further strengthen the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.

                          ____________________