Chairman Chu US Rep Office Opening Ceremony Speech:
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it’s my great honor to represent the KMT and welcome all of you to join today’s ceremony: the opening of the KMT Representative Office in Washington DC.
You know, we should call it “reopening,” because 16 years ago, it closed. It closed, and there was no voice from the KMT in the U.S. capital Washington, D.C.
So, this time, we came back, and we said “we are here, we are back”. We came back to our close friends in the United State capital together with all the democracy.
Today is a very important time for all of us to celebrate a long-time relationship and friendship between the U.S. and Taiwan: ROC. Especially during this tense era, we do need all the support from the world, and especially from our friends in the United States.
Today the KMT has come back, joined together, to get support for Taiwan, for the ROC, and also to represent our people in Taiwan.
We are the party that safeguards Taiwan; we are the party that protects our democracy; we are the party that fights for peace, fights for security, and fights for prosperity.
Thank you so much, all our friends, whether or not you could join us today, but we are all together. Anytime, keep in touch with our office: Alex, Eric, and our volunteers.
Again, thank you so much to our KMT members and the senior leaders in the D.C. area; they will be our volunteers forever.
Thank you to our friends from the State Department, from the AIT, and from all the relationships, and thank you General Chen, and thank you Ambassador.
Representative Huang’s speech:
Chairman Chu, all the guests of honor, welcome to today’s event. For me, today is a special occasion.
I first landed in the United States, and I came to Washington, DC 36 years ago. As a young grad student, I could never imagine that I would return to my second hometown as the representative of my beloved party.
I knew when Chairman Chu assigned me to take this position, it would be a tough job. But I always remember that in Washington, DC, we used to say that “It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.”
So I think it’s not only the appointment of the Chairman, but it’s also the confidence of all my able colleagues that I trust. So I think I can have such kind of courage to come back.
As I said, I had been in Washington, D.C. for a very long time. I believe that people know me, and I know many. So I will do my best for not only the KMT, but for Taiwan, for the Republic of China.
On top of this building, we specifically chose the location to inform us on a daily basis that the sky is the limit. We can see the bright sun on the blue sky, always, in the capital of the United States and the most powerful city in the world. So I appreciate your friendship, and I also want to take this opportunity to solicit your guidance.
In the future, if you know Alexander Huang as a trusted person, we will have not only friendship but a lot of professional exchange. I need your guidance, I need your support, and so I can report my duty to my Chairman.
I’m also very, very lucky to have my Deputy Chair, Ambassador Andrew Hsia, as one of my bosses. I’ve followed Ambassador Hsia for nearly 30 years with very, very rewarding learning experiences.
So I appreciate the Chairman and the Vice Chairman who gave me this appointment, and I will try my best to be your friend, and to be your consul.
We will work together for the shared value, for the shared interest of the two great countries. I appreciate your coming today, and I will see you a lot, thank you.
David Brown:
卜道維
Welcome, Chairman Chu, and all of your distinguished delegation, and all of you and others who are with us today.
This is a very happy day for Washington, DC, because, as you mentioned, there has been a gap in representation of the KMT, and that gap has been felt here. And, your reestablishing the office is going to make a significant contribution to rebuilding trust and cooperation between the Republic of China on Taiwan and the United States in the years ahead.
The sun is shining, the view from this office is beautiful, I think your prospects are encouraging, and we welcome you back to our capital. Thank you.
