On Saturday, April 13, 2019, Ripon College in Wisconsin hosted the “Wisconsin and the World” conference, which included panels on National Security, NATO, Allies to the United States, Space and Energy, and the Economy. Director General Eric Huang of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, together with the Consuls General in Chicago of the United Kingdom, Hungary, and Greece, sat on the Allies to the United States panel, which started at 12:15 p.m. During the panel discussion, Director General Huang advocated the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and promoted the Taiwan-US relations. Approximately 250 faculty members and students of Ripon College, a private liberal arts college, attended the day-long conference.
During his panel presentation, Director General Huang first stated the mission of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago (TECO) and then remarked that Taiwan stands on the frontline of all democracies, protecting democracy in and around the Taiwan Strait. He added that Taiwan thanks the United States for its support of Taiwan’s democracy and security. He pointed out that in 1979 the U.S. Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which has provided the United States’ commitment to Taiwan’s security. Under this beneficial circumstance, Taiwan has thrived and successfully transformed itself into a full democracy and a market economy.
Director General Huang also mentioned that Taiwan is known for promoting innovative industries. For example, more than 70 percent of the Tesla vehicle’s components are manufactured in Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan is the 11th-largest trading partner of the United States, whose combined two-way trade exceeds that of the United States and Brazil taken together. This shows the close economic and trade relations between Taiwan and the United States. The Director General concluded by saying Taiwan looks forward to continuing to strengthen cooperation with the United States in all spheres and at all levels.
