September 14, 2017
No.155
President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sent a congratulatory letter to President Halimah Yacob upon the latter’s becoming the Republic of Singapore's first female head of state. The newly inaugurated president, a former speaker of parliament of Malay heritage, assumed the presidency automatically as prescribed in law, being the only qualified candidate for the reserved election slated for September 13.
In her letter, President Tsai especially congratulated President Yacob for becoming the first Singaporean woman to assume the presidency. She also expressed the importance of Taiwan-Singapore relations, stressing that Taiwan attaches great importance to bilateral, regional, and international cooperation with the city-state. The two countries have maintained close exchanges in the areas of trade, tourism, culture, education, and technology. President Tsai expressed hopes of working with President Yacob to strengthen and expand collaboration between Taiwan and Singapore to the benefit of people of both countries. The 2013 economic partnership agreement between Taiwan and Singapore (ASTEP), she said, has brought bilateral ties to a new level. The New Southbound Policy, moreover, can infuse new momentum into the Taiwan-Singapore relationship.
Supported by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in her run for the presidency, President Halimah Yacob is a veteran politician who became the speaker of Parliament in 2013 after having served as a parliamentarian since 2001. (E)