The event was the fourth and final Digital Dialogue Public Forum, as well as marking the conclusion of a year-long AIT program celebrating its 40th anniversary. The US and Taiwan have cooperated in ways that “have immeasurably benefited both of our societies and the entire global community,” Christensen said. “These ties allow us to confront new challenges head-on and side-by-side, and these ties are the inspiration for AIT’s theme for 2020: ‘Real Friends, Real Progress,’” he said, emphasizing the theme by repeating the phrase in Mandarin. Bilateral ties have not been defined solely in terms of dollar signs or how well they conform to global trends or views of the day; instead, they are sincerely invested in each other’s successes and in forging a shared future together, Christensen said, again repeating “Real Friends, Real Progress” in Mandarin. The US and Taiwan are “members of the same family of democracies” bonded by shared values, he added.

Source: Taipei Times January 17, 2020 15:56 UTC