Political Quotes

“On May 20 of last year, Chen Shui-bian was sworn in as the President of Taiwan. This was a historic event, the first major transfer of power from one political party to a rival political party in Chinese or Taiwanese history. Mature democracies like ours take such political shifts for granted, but the peaceful exchange of power in many regions of the world is a rare legacy. Taiwan now shares in it. Taiwan has evolved into a stable, prosperous nation governed by the rule of law. Taiwan's 40-year journey toward democracy is a success story, one which we should celebrate, one which we should acknowledge, and we should reward that process. Mr. Speaker, to that end I introduced H.R. 428 requiring the State Department to initiate a plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan in this year's World Health Assembly. Ninety-two colleagues have joined in cosponsoring this bill. Fostering Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly is a modest step, but a meaningful one.”