TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) welcomed a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) to the Presidential Office Building on Friday. 

Lai, along with National Security Council Secretary Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), thanked the visitors for promoting greater awareness of Taiwan’s situation in the US and internationally. Lai also commended the NCAFP for its consistent support and recognition of Taiwan’s democracy, reported CNA.

The NCAFP is a US think tank based in New York City with a focus on promoting national security and international conflict resolution. The delegation visiting Taiwan is led by former US diplomat Susan Elliott, who served as a policy advisor to the commander of US forces in Europe and as the ambassador to Tajikistan.

During her remarks, Elliott noted that the NCAFP has made regular trips to Taiwan over the past 20 years to discuss issues of mutual concern to Taiwan and the US. She said that she looks forward to in-depth discussions on regional security and bilateral ties with Taiwanese officials over the coming days.

The NCAFP claims to provide the only authoritative non-governmental channel for security policy communication on cross-strait relations. The group’s visit comes days after President Donald Trump signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act into law, which will build upon the robust relations between the US and Taiwan.  

In his remarks, Lai said that Taiwan remains committed to strengthening and defending its sovereignty. He highlighted his administration’s efforts to bolster defense spending by NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion), which was recently delayed by the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan.