TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Multiple overseas Taiwanese organizations have congratulated President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on her inauguration in a newspaper advertisement, which also urged the U.S. government to diplomatically recognize Taiwan.

A total of 10 Taiwanese groups, including the Washington-based lobby group Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), jointly published a full-page ad in the Washington Times on Wednesday (May 20). In addition to sending congratulations to Tsai, the ad was intended to celebrate Taiwan’s democracy while calling for the U.S.’s diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, said FAPA via Facebook.

　



“We have witnessed the gradual normalization in US-Taiwan relations during the past four years,” stated FAPA President Minze Chien (簡明子). He said that with its contributions to the U.S. to aid that country’s fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19), “Taiwan has shown the United States that it is a country that warrants diplomatic recognition.”

“It is time to change the outdated policy and move towards formal US-Taiwan diplomatic relations,” added Chen. Taiwan’s relationship with the U.S. should not be lumped in with that of North Korea, Iran, and Syria, which also lack diplomatic relations with the U.S., according to the sponsors of the ad.

The 10 overseas Taiwanese organizations that joined forces to publish the ad include the North American Taiwanese Medical Association (NATMA), North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association (NATPA), North America Taiwanese Women’s Association (NATWA), and World Federation of Taiwanese Associations (WFTA), among others.