Officials from various levels of the U.S. government gathered with those from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco (TECOSF) on the afternoon of Oct. 8 to commemorate Taiwan’s 113th National Day.

The celebration reception was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City. Taiwan’s National Day is on Oct. 10.

At around 4 p.m., more than a dozen officials from the United States and Taiwan, along with hundreds of overseas Taiwanese community leaders and members, began the celebration by singing the national anthems of the United States and the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s official name.

Amid the applause, music, and cheers, the attendees raised their glasses surrounded by wreaths, ribbons, and the U.S. and Taiwan flags to celebrate the 113th birthday of the ROC, the long journey of the island nation toward freedom, and the past achievements of democratic Taiwan.

In the opening speech, TECOSF Director-General Scott Lai noted that since Sun Yat-sen led the revolution 113 years ago to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish the Republic of China, Taiwan has become a beacon of hope and a model of democracy for overseas Chinese.

Lai said Taiwan has numerous achievements in enhancing democracy, developing its economy, and advancing technological innovation and said the U.S.–Taiwan exchanges in areas such as trade and culture have been successful.

Freedom House, a Washington-based nonprofit organization, gave Taiwan a global freedom score of 94 out of 100 last year. In comparison, the United States scored 83, and communist China scored nine. Taiwan also received a political rights score of 38 out of 40, the United States scored 33, and China received a negative score of minus 2.

California state Sen. Dave Cortese gave a speech at the reception, congratulating the ROC on its 113th anniversary and praising Taiwan as a model of global democracy. He also thanked Lai for his contributions to U.S.–Taiwan relations in California and the western United States.

Messages From US Officials

Nevada state Assemblyman P.K. O‘Neill congratulated the ROC on its National Day and noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. O’Neill stated that the act has contributed not only to peace, security, and stability in the Western Pacific but also to the freedom, opportunity, and prosperity of the entire Indo-Pacific region.

Both California and Nevada have sister-state relationships with Taiwan.

Fremont City Mayor Lily Mei spoke at the event, stating that she is a daughter of Taiwan and Fremont’s first Taiwanese-American and Chinese-American mayor in its 70-year history. Mei said that Taiwan is the happiest country in the world and that she looked forward to further cooperation with Taiwan.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to the celebration.

“The steadfast partnership between the United States of America and Taiwan has been of significant importance throughout the past decades, deeply rooted in our unshakable bond and dedication on human rights,” Pelosi wrote.

“We look forward to working together to further strengthen bilateral relations, and we will strive to foster growth and prosperity between our two nations.”

Other U.S. government agencies and elected officials who sent congratulatory messages or letters for the occasion included California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; California state Reps. Ro Khanna, Anna Eshoo, and Eric Swalwell; San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan; Cupertino Mayor Sheila Mohan; San Francisco City Council members Aaron Peskin, Joel P. Engardio, and Connie Chan; the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors; the Fremont City Council; the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Department of California; Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox; the Utah State Legislature; Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros S. Anthony; and the Legislative Commission of Nevada State.