Taiwan’s representative office in the US marked the 35th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) on Thursday.
The US Congress approved the TRA on April 10, 1979. The act established the framework for US-Taiwan relations after the US withdrew its diplomatic recognition of Taipei in favor of Beijing.
The representative office in Washington celebrated the occasion with a banquet held Thursday night, local time. Among the guests was Lester Wolff, a former congressman who coordinated the development of the TRA. A number of officials from the American Institute in Taiwan were also in attendance.
Taiwan’s newly appointed envoy to the US, Shen Lyu-shun, addressed the guests. He thanked a group of 52 Congressmen for signing a letter to US President Barack Obama reaffirming the TRA’s importance in strengthening trade and security relations between the US and Taiwan. He also said he hopes that Taiwan and the US will enjoy 35 more years of friendly relations.