Remarks by AIT Director Christopher J. Marut at the “Global Cooperation Training Framework” MOU Signing Ceremony

OT-1509E | Date: 06/01/2015

Taipei, Taiwan

June 1, 2015

(As Prepared for Delivery)

Deputy Minister Kao, Chairperson Chang, Assistant Secretary Rivkin, ladies and gentlemen, friends, good morning.

On behalf of the American Institute in Taiwan, I am delighted to be with you here today to launch the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.  This Framework will institutionalize and serve as a platform for expanding one of the brightest areas of U.S.-Taiwan relations: cooperation on regional and global issues.

As like-minded democracies with a long history of close and mutually-beneficial relations, the United States and Taiwan are more and more joining hands to take our cooperation across a number of areas to the wider Asia Pacific region and world.  In the past year alone, the United States and Taiwan have cooperated on a range of critical global challenges.  We have worked with regional partners to address global climate change through the International Environmental Partnership.  We have delivered humanitarian assistance to those affected by conflict in the Middle East.  We have delivered protective equipment, financial support, and medical training to those on the front lines of the effort to contain the West African Ebola outbreak.  And we have promoted the expansion of renewable energy in the Asia-Pacific region.  It is wonderful to see here with us today representatives of the many Taiwan agencies AIT and our Washington colleagues have collaborated with to bring all of these initiatives to fruition.

This new Global Cooperation and Training Framework will build upon these successes and explore new ways to harness U.S. and Taiwan expertise and teamwork for the benefit of the regional and global communities.  We launch this in recognition that the biggest challenges facing the world today will only be solved through encouraging different but complementary experiences, perspectives, and competencies. Taiwan is leading the way, from promotion of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship as a driver of economic development, to fostering a robust civil society as the vanguard of a vibrant democracy. Taiwan has much to share, and this framework will push the sharing process forward.

I thank our friends in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for hosting us today and for their vision and strong support of U.S.-Taiwan cooperative programs.   I thank the other agencies here today as well for the outstanding efforts and dedication of their teams of technical experts.  We can accomplish great things under this new framework, and I look forward to seeing impressive results in the years to come.

Thank you.