Description

On October 2, 2012, at the Global Travel and Tourism Conference hosted by the U.S. State Department, State Secretary Hillary Clinton formally announced Taiwan’s membership in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, marking another milestone in Taiwan-U.S. relations.

Becoming the 37th member in the program was the fruit of years of effort by the ROC to meet stringent U.S. requirements for passport security, visa rejection rates, border control and intelligence sharing. It also meant that Taiwanese nationals were gaining recognition as well-mannered and law-abiding travelers.

This picture taken on May 20, 2012 shows Premier Sean Chen receiving U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Chen urged the U.S. to expedite Taiwan’s membership in the Visa Waiver Program.