Senator urges Congress to invite President Tsai Ing-wen to Washington

US Senator Ted Cruz said that he had written to Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, urging her to invite President Tsai Ing-wen to make a speech to Congress.

Texas Republican Senator Cruz made the remarks in a response to questions by a CNA reporter in a Q and A session after a speech delivered to the American Enterprise Institute yesterday, February 6.

During the speech, which focused on the role of Congress in American foreign policy, Cruz divided countries into four categories in terms of their relationship to the United States: Friends, enemies, rivals, and problematic allies.

In the Asian region, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan are categorized as friends.

“North Korea is an enemy. They threaten us. They threaten South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, all of our friends,” Cruz said.

[Read the full transcript of Senator Ted Cruz speech.]

In the speech, Senator Cruz classes China as a rival.

“China is undeniably our top geopolitical rival. Russia is second, and I’m glad that the liberals have recently discovered that. It’s about time,” Cruz said.

“Dealing with China is fraught with risks, from espionage to full-blown military threats. For too long we failed to acknowledge the risks from China.”

Responding to reporters, Cruz said that he supports, and is looking forward to, President Tsai Ing-wen making a speech to Congress.

Senator Ted Cruz was a co-sponsor of The Taiwan Travel Act, which was signed into law March 16, 2018, allowing and encouraging visits between high-level officials of both countries.

China expressed “strong opposition” to the act, saying the it violated “the one-China principle.”

The Central News Agency reporter asked yesterday if Senator Cruz has any plans or ideas on how to implement the Taiwan Travel Act. Does he support President Tsai’s visit to Washington to give a speech to the US Congress? Is this year a good time to visit? Cruz responded in the affirmative and made it clear that he had signed a letter to the Speaker of the house urging her to extend an invitation to President Tsai.

Cruz said that he had met President Tsai in Houston one on one.

“I must say, I was thoroughly amused, prior to the meeting, to receive a letter from the PRC. The government of China asked me “please don’t meet with President Tsai.””

“Anyone who knows me would know that such a correspondence is unlikely to be successful,” Cruz said.

“But I had great fun responding to that letter; and explaining to the government of China that I will meet with anyone I damn well please…and they have no authority to dictate who I meet with,” the Senator continued.

“The people of Taiwan…you want to talk about an extraordinary story of standing up to Chinese oppression, and creating an economic jewel, an economic powerhouse.”

“You want an illustration of whether freedom, or totalitarianism works, compare Taiwan and China side by side,” Cruz said, saying that this is why he has made so many efforts over the years in supporting Taiwan in the Senate with legislation to strengthen the US relationship with Taiwan.

Senator Cruz said that US rival China is constantly trying to press Taiwan into submission, and stifle Taiwan, in an attempt maintain the “fictional one-China policy.”

Cruz believes that to strengthen US-Taiwan relations, it is important for the United States to speak out loud and stand with its Ally, Taiwan.

“The meeting I had with Tsai was positive and beneficial, and I hope to see her come to Washington and deliver an address here in Congress,” the senator concluded.

Full speech and Q and A Video

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