{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-joins-congressional-delegation-taiwan", "Rep. Tokuda Joins Congressional Delegation in Taiwan", "2024-08-13", "2024", "2024-08", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Jill N. Tokuda", "T000487", "tokuda.house.gov", "tokuda", "https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases?PageNum_rs=6&", "scraper", "Taipei \u2013 This week, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is visiting Taiwan as part of a congressional delegation (CODEL).\n\nYesterday, the CODEL met with a number of officials including Taiwan\u2019s President Lai Ching-te, Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khim, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been more than 30 years since Hawai\u02bbi began a sister-state relationship with Taiwan and the common bonds and shared challenges we face are stronger than ever. As islands, we understand the urgent need to make our communities more resilient in the face of climate change, security threats, food insecurity, and the high cost of living that make it difficult for our families to survive,\" said Rep. Tokuda. \u201cGiven our indigenous connections and long-standing cultural and historical ties, I\u2019m proud to be part of this delegation reaffirming the United States\u2019 and Congress\u2019 commitment to Taiwan\u2019s security and democracy and to a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I\u2019ll continue to support critical relationships with allies and partners in the region to deter aggression and promote diplomacy to address shared challenges.\u201d\n\nBesides diplomatic and security issues, Rep. Tokuda also encouraged Taiwan officials to restart direct flights between Taiwan and Hawai\u02bbi to strengthen economic and cultural connections and enhance tourism. Direct routes between Hawai\u02bbi and Taipei were discontinued during the pandemic, but previously provided Hawai\u02bbi residents and foreigners alike with the opportunity to travel to Taiwan and to connect with other regional countries like the Philippines.\n\nThis is Rep. Tokuda\u2019s second CODEL trip to Taiwan and will also include visits with the National Development Council, Ministry of National Defense, and Taichung Coast Guard Base.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-joins-congressional-delegation-taiwan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9069899097084999, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}