TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on Wednesday likened Taiwan-US relations to baseball with challenges such as the tariff negotiations “curveballs” along the way to the two countries building a “championship team.”

With the current US tariff moratorium set to expire on July 9, Hsiao stressed the importance of Taiwan-US economic ties, per CNA. While acknowledging “some bumps,” including complex tariff issues, she said both sides are eager to find common ground for mutual advancement.

Hsiao said Taiwan-US relations are built “inning after inning" when speaking at an AIT Fourth of July celebration. “We have faced fastballs, curveballs, and sometimes sliders,” said Hsiao.

Despite these difficulties, she said both sides keep stepping up to the plate with determination and teamwork. She thanked AIT Director Raymond Greene and AIT for their dedication, friendship, and partnership.

Greene said the shared love of baseball reflects core values of both societies: fair competition and teamwork, per CNA. “When the US wins, Taiwan wins,” he said, pointing out that this was evident with Taiwan's victory during the final round of last year’s WBSC Premier12 baseball tournament. 

He said the US and Taiwan are working together to shape the future, whether it’s defining 21st-century technologies, strengthening resilient supply chains and societies, or maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific. "America and Taiwan working together with our democratic teammates are poised to knock it out of the park every time," said Green. 

Hsiao and Greene exchanged autographed baseball jerseys, while Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) gifted Greene a Taiwan-made bat inscribed with the phrase, “A home run for Taiwan-US relations.”