Ambassador Kelly Craft
Permanent Representative
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
January 13, 2021
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Madam President. Although I am in the final days in this position, my mission is not finished. Nothing takes the place of the personal – as you have just mentioned – and the person-to-person contact. However virtually, the matters at stake are so important that I could not let this opportunity pass us by.
It is important for me to be clear on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. The United States stands with Taiwan. The United States will always stand with Taiwan
The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with Taiwan as pillars of democracy.
Taiwan has been an inspiration for the region, and might I add, for the world. Your courage and your vision only reinforce Taiwan’s global reputation. There are quite a number of nations represented in the UN who should look at Taiwan – not for opportunities to exclude it, but for reasons to aspire to be it. In any context, by the standards of the free world, Taiwan is a model for democracy, equality for women, innovation and scientific exploration, a staunch defender of human rights. Like you, Madam President, Foreign Minister Wu, and Secretary-General Koo, Taiwanese students are attending universities around the world and they are preparing to change the world for the better.
Madam President, you have taught me well the importance to never mistake the present for a determination of the future, and I’m looking forward to having this discussion with you – this evening in New York City, this morning during the day in Taipei.
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