[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8713]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 OPENING OF THE TAIPEI ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL OFFICE IN DENVER, COLORADO

  Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I wish to welcome a great new diplomatic 
development in my home State of Colorado. Last week, Denver was proud 
to officially welcome the opening of the Taipei Economic and Cultural 
Office, TECO, the defacto consulate of Taiwan in the United States. The 
TECO office in Denver will serve Colorado, as well as the States of 
Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
  I thank Taiwan's leadership for this wise decision, particularly Dr. 
Lyushun Shen, the Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural 
Representative Office in the United States, TECRO in Washington, DC, as 
well as Mr. Jack J.C. Yang, the Director General of the new TECO Office 
in Denver.
  As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee 
on Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Cooperation, I am 
committed to ensuring that the U.S.-Taiwan partnership continues to 
grow and prosper. Our nations must continue to work together to ensure 
regional stability and to advance economic ties, including through 
landmark initiatives such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, TPP.
  Our friendship has never been stronger. Taiwan is now the tenth 
largest trading partner for the U.S., while the U.S. is Taiwan's 
largest foreign investor. Our people-to-people relations are 
flourishing, with over 20,000 Taiwanese students studying in the U.S. 
each year. Over 75 U.S. cities have established sister city 
relationships with their Taiwanese counterparts, including Colorado 
Springs, CO, which has been a sister city to Kaohsiung since 1983.
  I know our nation's bonds with Taiwan will only grow stronger, and I 
am proud that Denver will now be front and center in ensuring the 
continued friendship between our nations and peoples. I am confident 
that our Taiwanese friends will not find more hospitable and welcoming 
hosts for their diplomats and visitors than the people of the great 
State of Colorado.

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