2023-10-18
AIT Chair Visits Taiwan Hakka Tea Culture Museum. Lai: Looking Forward to Closer Taiwan-U.S. Ties
On October 16, Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Lai Ching-te invited Laura Rosenberger, chair of the American Institute in Taiwan, to the Taiwan Hakka Tea Culture Museum. During the visit, Chairman Lai introduced the history of Taiwan's tea industry and Hakka tea culture. They had Hakka cuisine for lunch that featured local ingredients, which helped increase our U.S. friends’ understanding of Taiwan's diverse culture.
Also present at the museum were four DPP and independent legislators (Cheng Yun-peng, Huang Shi-jie, Tang Wai-ching and Chiu Ching-yu), as well as three DPP legislative nominees (Peng Chun-hao, Liu Yan-chao and Fan Gang-xiang). Chairman Lai invited them to share insights on the characteristics of their respective constituencies. Other topics discussed included Taiwan-U.S. cooperation, regional security, economic and trade investment, and more.
The chairman first welcomed Ms. Rosenberg’s revisiting Taiwan, expressing gratitude for the U.S.’s continued attention and support for Taiwan's democratic elections, as well as its long-standing friendship with Taiwan. In addition to the completion of the first phase of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which enhances bilateral trade and investment growth, the U.S. has also continued to deepen engagement with Taiwan on issues such as regional security and national-defense cooperation.
Chairman Lai said that in recent years the international situation has become increasingly complex, but that the global community's position on safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait remains unchanged. Based on the four commitments and the four pillars of peace, Taiwan will continue to play a steady and responsible role in contributing to the security of the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific, as well as to strengthen our partnerships with like-minded democracies.
Chairman Lai noted that Taiwanese society continues to wrestle with the threat of disinformation and hybrid warfare, with numerous studies indicating that Taiwan sees the greatest volume of disinformation. Thus, he looks forward to continued Taiwan-U.S. engagement, including on collective efforts to guard against China’s attempts at polarizing Taiwanese society and influencing next year’s general elections through information warfare. We must also prevent narratives like U.S. skepticism from scuttling Taiwan-U.S. ties.
Chairman Lai invited Ms. Rosenberg to taste Hakka Oriental beauty tea, whereupon they said in Hakkanese, “Taiwan’s tea is high-quality and delicious! Great!” Afterward the chairman and Ms. Rosenberger held a closed-door meeting, after which he presented her with a gift bag containing refreshments made from Oriental beauty tea; tea bags made by Taiwan’s top-three tea masters; tea-themed desserts from a renowned pastry brand; and mango jam mixed with Oriental beauty tea made by Keya Jam, the champion of the World’s Original Marmalade Awards & Festivals in 2023. All these would allow the guest to get a taste of Taiwan at its most authentic.
