Taiwan-affairs think tank launched in Washington
Washington, Sept.14 (CNA) A new think tank was established in Washington on Wednesday with the aim of promoting Taiwan-U.S. relations and perpetuating the goal of strengthening bilateral ties.
The non-profit Global Taiwan Institute was set up with donations from Taiwanese expatriates based in the United States and is the first think tank in Washington that focuses primarily on Taiwan affairs.
At the opening ceremony, Global Taiwan Institute Chairman Robert Lai (賴義雄), who is an expert on military strategy, said the think tank's major mission is to pass on to the next generation the vision of strengthening ties between Taiwan and the U.S. so that young Taiwanese and Taiwanese-Americans will take pride in Taiwan.
Taiwan's representative to the U.S. Stanley Kao (高碩泰) also spoke at the opening ceremony, lauding the effort to promote Taiwan-U.S. relations.
According to the think tank's website, Global Taiwan Institute is "dedicated to insightful, cutting-edge and inclusive research on policy issues regarding Taiwan and the world."
Some of the institute's main projects include the publication of weekly journals, analyses of Taiwan policies and U.S.-China-Taiwan relations, and the hosting of seminars and annual conferences for scholars and government officials.
The Global Taiwan Institute is located near Dupont Circle, home to several prestigious U.S. think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Wednesday's opening ceremony was attended by U.S. Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Taiwanese Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) of the New Power Party, among other officials.
(By Tony Liao and Elaine Hou)
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