Subcommittee leaders call for expedited delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan
 
Washington (June 9, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, and Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, released the following statement today announcing the subcommittee hearing, “Strength Through Partnership: Building the U.S. – Taiwan Relationship,” scheduled for June 17, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.
 
“Our strategic partnership with Taiwan’s vibrant democracy continues to grow despite the government of the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan from the world,” said Senators Markey and Romney in a joint statement. “We will hold the second hearing of our Subcommittee to explore ways to grow U.S.-Taiwan ties and build on our already strong relationship. We will seek avenues to bolster Taiwan’s defenses to deter armed aggression, and just as importantly, discuss how we bolster Taiwan’s standing in the world to withstand Beijing’s efforts to deny it partners overseas and access to the international community. We look forward to hearing from the Administration about what practical steps can be taken to strengthen the foundational commitments of the United States to Taiwan and promote Taiwan’s remarkable democratic success story in a region where authoritarianism is on the rise.”
 
“At a time of our greatest need during the pandemic, Taiwan stepped up to supply personal protective equipment to frontline workers in hospitals across the United States – and its generosity has extended to other countries struggling to return to health. The U.S. must similarly help Taiwan address the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. We call upon the Biden administration to expedite its commitment to supply 750,000 vaccines to Taiwan, stand ready to field additional requests from Taipei, and allot doses for use by the Taiwanese Armed Forces,” the senators continued.   

This April, Senators Markey and Romney, along with Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, and Representative Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, released a statement urging the World Health Organization to invite Taiwan to participate in the upcoming 74th World Health Assembly. In March, Senator Markey also reintroduced the bipartisan Taiwan Fellowship Act to establish a fellowship exchange program for U.S. federal government employees to learn, live, and work in Taiwan for a length of up to two years. The Taiwan Fellowship Act was included in the Innovation and Competition Act that passed the Senate yesterday.
 

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