Katie Porter: “the cold war is over and the United States is struggling to reshape its foreign policy. I believe there is a clear…”

“the cold war is over and the United States is struggling to reshape its foreign policy. I believe there is a clear principle we should use as our guiding light in this effort--shared values. We are the only remaining superpower, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to shed our old policies and base our relations with other nations on their willingness to embrace the tenets that are the founding principles of our country--democracy, human rights, rule of law, and free markets. I believe the United States should cultivate relations with nations that share these values and are moving toward them. At the same time, we should make abundantly clear that we have no interest in cooperating with nor assisting nations that do not share our values. One nation that clearly shares our values is Taiwan. Taiwan has followed a pattern that I believe is the best path for the development of stable, deeply rooted democracies. Taiwan focused initially on economic growth, the development of free markets and capitalism, an aggressive financial sector, access to credit--in short, economic freedom. This base of economic freedom led to a growing middle class that demanded a greater say in government and greater personal freedoms. The Taiwanese Government has responded positively and undertaken broad and deep reforms. The commitment to the values we hold dear is strong in Taiwan.”