The 70th U.S. Secretary of State Mr. Michael R. Pompeo visited Taiwan and stopped in Tainan City on Sep. 28. He was welcomed by Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che, Legislator Wang Ting-yu, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Tan-sun. Mayor Huang greeted Pompeo, a strong ally of Taiwan, with customary Tainan hospitality and gifted the guest with local produce and goods including an orchid spray-painted with a US flag, ceramic plates with orchid patterns, quality dried fruits, and shrimp chips.
Huang expressed that this historic city is proud of its local delicacies and is delighted to welcome Pompeo so that he can experience the charms of this ancient city in person. When Pompeo visited this March, Tainan City Government asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to forward the city’s agricultural products as gifts. Mayor Huang hopes that Pompeo will gain a better understanding of Taiwan and Tainan during this visit; and since Tainan will be commemorating its 400th anniversary in 2024, the Mayor also extended an invitation to Pompeo.
The Mayor said that during the closed-door luncheon party, he expressed sincere gratitude to Pompeo for the US’ donation of COVID-19 vaccines and mentioned that Taiwan is greatly encouraged by Pompeo’s visit to Taiwan so shortly after finishing his service as Secretary of State.
Pompeo pointed out that this visit is slightly different from his last visit. This time he plans to have deeper economy-related conversations with local governments and businesses. Pompeo also mentioned that threats from China have gradually increased and China’s action of firing missiles when US officials visit Taiwan is not an act of a free country. Under such circumstances, he hopes that Taiwan can be a role model for the area and stressed that “we should fight for freedom”. He looks forward to facilitating more political cooperations between the US and Taiwan.
Legislator Wang Ting-yu added that Tainan is well-known for its hospitality and Taiwan’s freedom and democracy are recognized globally. He thanked Pompeo for highlighting freedom and enhancing bilateral relations between Taiwan and the US during his term. Wang hopes that on such foundations, both parties can maintain the current relationship and create more collaborations in the future.
Pompeo served as Secretary of State from 2018 to 2021 under former President Donald Trump and is extremely friendly to Taiwan. After leaving his post as Secretary of State, Pompeo continues to speak out for Taiwan and has openly expressed that Taiwan is an independent country. In 2021, when China banned the import of Taiwanese pineapples, Pompeo posted a photo of him eating dried pineapples on Twitter to show his support for Taiwan.