TAIPEI (TVBS News) — American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk stressed on Monday (Dec. 4) that the United States does not have a preferred candidate in Taiwan's upcoming presidential election.
Speaking at National Taiwan University (NTU) for her end-of-year policy speech, Oudkirk reiterated that the U.S. is not taking sides in Taiwan's election and doesn't have a preferred candidate and further expressed the U.S. confidence in Taiwan's democratic system.
"We believe it is for Taiwan voters to decide their next leader, free from outside interference," Oudkirk said. The AIT director added that U.S. support for Taiwan "remains rock-solid."
"U.S. policy on Taiwan will remain the same regardless of which party is in power," Oudkirk said. "[We] look forward to working with whichever leaders Taiwan voters elect in 2024."
According to the AIT, representatives from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) were invited to attend the event. Reportedly, people from the DPP and KMT showed up; however, no one from the TPP came.
Earlier in her speech, Oudkirk focused on cybersecurity and the danger of disinformation and propaganda, which could affect election results, and put "the ability of our democracies to thrive" at risk, emphasizing the cooperation between the two countries and with many other partners, to combat the issue.
"The United States will work with our allies and partners, including Taiwan, to counter threats to our digital ecosystem and to build secure, reliable, and trustworthy global supply chains for information and communications technology," Oudkirk said.