Ambassador Kelly Craft
Permanent Representative
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
September 29, 2020
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, and good evening from New York City.
Beginning with a surprise call to your President Tsai in December 2016, President Trump has reoriented America’s approach to the People’s Republic. There is no greater measure of fellowship than gathering to discuss concrete means, in which Taiwan and its partners such as the US, can collaborate for democracy and a better world.
I applaud the American Institute of Taiwan and the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office for doing just that. Bringing us all together.
Taiwan has a trusted friend in President Donald J. Trump, and an administration that champions the international role that Taiwan holds. That’s why the Trump Administration is partnering with Taiwan and Japan on the Global Cooperation and Training Framework. Taiwan deserves the highest platform where it can share its remarkable innovation and expertise in data science, in medical technology, and in cutting-edge communications.
As all of us gathered here today know, Taiwan and its government defend human rights and practice democracy. Taiwan is one of the world’s strongest economies, and is widely respected for its commitment to education, health, and civil liberties. Taiwan is a force for good for the world. The world needs Taiwan’s full participation in the United Nations system, particularly with respect to matters that affect public health and economic development. A United Nations without Taiwan’s full participation is cheating the world.
The Communist Party of China, fearful of a free and open society, makes every effort to suppress Taiwan’s international profile. This became abundantly clear with the coronavirus, a life and death matter. When Beijing blocked Taipei’s attempt to warn the world that COVID-19 spreads from human to human contact. We all need Taiwan’s expertise and experience.
Public-private partnerships are crucial to addressing global challenges. That includes global health issues, where government initiatives alone simply cannot match the need. Take Taiwan’s national face mask production team: this emergency collaboration between the government, private sector technicians, and factory managers response to the urgent need for face masks by combining expertise, speedy approvals, and injecting needed capital. Within weeks, this partnership increased Taiwan’s productivity from two million masks a day to nearly 20 million, contributing to Taiwan’s successful containment of the virus.
As a strong supporter of public-private partnerships, I push for this at the United Nations. We need the private and public sector working together on solutions on our most pressing challenges.
This forum has brought together some of the brightest minds from Japan, Taiwan, and the United States to share ideas of how to improve the lives of our respective peoples and nations around the world. Our partnership will prove invaluable for generations to come, here is to our success, so let’s get started.
Thank you very much.
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