President Lai meets delegation led by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt  

On the morning of December 9, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. In remarks, President Lai thanked Governor Stitt and the Oklahoma Legislature for their high regard for Taiwan and support for its international participation. The president stated that deepening Taiwan-United States relations is not only about meeting one another’s needs in terms of economics, trade, investment, or industrial supply chain cooperation; it is also about jointly upholding the values of freedom and democracy. Looking ahead, he said, we hope to further enhance exchanges in such fields as energy, trade, and bilateral investment, emphasizing that together, we can open up excellent prospects and work hand in hand to promote democracy, peace, and prosperity.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I warmly welcome Governor Stitt, who has chosen Taiwan as the first stop on his maiden trip to Asia. I also hope that this visit will drive even closer cooperation in Taiwan and Oklahoma’s economic and trade partnership. Last week, I visited diplomatic allies the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau and made transit stops in Hawaii and Guam. I am very grateful to the US government for the assistance it lent. It is a great delight to be able to welcome good friends from the United States to the Presidential Office so soon after returning home.  

Taiwan and Oklahoma signed a sister-state agreement in 1980, nearly 45 years ago. In May this year, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a resolution recognizing the friendly ties between Oklahoma and Taiwan, celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, and supporting Taiwan’s international participation. I want to thank Governor Stitt and the Oklahoma Legislature for their high regard and support for Taiwan.  

Thanks to Governor Stitt’s backing, Taiwan and Oklahoma enjoy close cooperation across a range of fields. Last year, for example, Taiwan and the Oklahoma State Department of Education renewed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on education cooperation. This September, an Oklahoman delegation visited Taiwan to strengthen cooperation in the drone industry. During this trip, Governor Stitt will sign an agreement on economic, energy, and trade cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. These examples demonstrate that, although we are some 12,000 kilometers apart, friendship and exchanges between Taiwan and Oklahoma cannot be restrained by distance.

I would also like to declare our admiration for Governor Stitt’s firm position on resisting expanding authoritarianism. I believe all of our distinguished guests would agree that deepening Taiwan-US relations is not only about meeting one another’s needs in terms of economic, trade, investment, or industrial supply chain cooperation; it is also about jointly upholding the values of freedom and democracy. Looking ahead, we hope to further enhance exchanges in such fields as energy, trade, and bilateral investment. Together, we can open up excellent prospects and work hand in hand to promote democracy, peace, and prosperity. 

In closing, I want to thank Governor Stitt and our distinguished guests for their visit. Oklahoma is a place of great beauty, with its abundance of natural scenery and human culture. I also invite you all to visit Taiwan again in the future and see some of our other cities. You can always be sure of a very warm reception. In the meantime, I wish you all a fruitful trip.

Governor Stitt then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for the honor to be here with him and for the warm welcome. He noted that he is pleased to be here to strengthen the bonds between Oklahoma and Taiwan, emphasizing that he cannot wait to go back and tell Oklahomans about coming to Taiwan. He said that Taiwan is an economic success story, pointing out that its high-tech economy, research and development, and electronics and metal manufacturing sectors are well known, not only to Oklahoma but well respected all around the world. 

Governor Stitt said that Taiwan is one of Oklahoma’s biggest trading partners, which has been beneficial for both of us. Oklahoma and Taiwan share a sister-state relationship established in 1980, he said, and that relationship has resulted in numerous mutually beneficial exchanges among government, businesses, and culture. In April this year, he remarked, he was delighted to host Taiwan representatives to the US and a delegation of industry representatives to Oklahoma to discuss collaboration in the aerospace sector.

Governor Stitt also remarked that in October this year a delegation of drone and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) companies from Oklahoma visited Taiwan to explore ways to partner with Taiwanese companies. He stated that an MOU was signed by several companies, and that Oklahoma and Taiwan are now cooperating to strengthen supply chains. He noted that the aerospace sector in Oklahoma, which they are so proud of, is also a tech innovation hub specializing in autonomous technologies, which he believes is very important to Taiwan. 

The governor said that they look forward to finding further ways to collaborate with Taiwan in the autonomous UAS technologies sector. Today, he stated, he is honored to sign this MOU between Taiwan and the state of Oklahoma to further strengthen our cooperation around aerospace, drones and UAS, energy, and the critical mineral supply chain. He said that they look forward to working together to increase trade and investment opportunities and bring prosperity to the people of Taiwan and Oklahoma. 

The delegation also included Senior Advisor and Director of the Washington, D.C. Office for the Governor of Oklahoma Christina Lepore.