Lai says Taiwan has lost a friend after Lindsey Graham’s sudden death

Lai says Taiwan has lost a friend after Lindsey Graham’s sudden death

2026-07-13

On July 11, US Senator Lindsey Graham suddenly passed away from an aortic dissection. The 71-year-old Republican stalwart visited Taiwan on three occasions, and he played a role in Taiwan becoming a major non-NATO ally, meaning Taiwan enjoys military and financial advantages from the USA that are not available to non-NATO nations. President Lai also expressed his condolences on X, writing that Graham was “a true friend of Taiwan.”

On July 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wished US Senator Graham a happy belated birthday. Many found it hard to believe that this would be the Republican heavyweight’s last public appearance.

Anchor
CNN
It was a brief and sudden illness.

Graham became a senator back in 2003, and two decades later he served as one of Donald Trump’s closest political allies. After turning 71 on July 9, Graham ended up suddenly passing away just two days after his birthday.

Donald Trump (Jan. 23, 2023)
US President
A friend of mine for a long time. We don’t always agree, but that’s okay, too. But he’s a great guy, a great politician, actually, and a terrific person who loves your state.

One of the Republican presidential candidates for the 2016 election cycle, Graham exerted significant influence over his party. President Trump ordered flags nationwide to be flown at half-staff to honor the late US Senator Graham. President Lai Ching-te also posted a message on X that expressed he was “deeply saddened by the sudden passing” of Graham and that the US senator was “a true friend of Taiwan.”

Lindsey Graham (April 15, 2022)
Republican senator
What would America do if the communist Chinese invaded Taiwan? We’re here in this part of the world not to conquer, but to be a good ally. If America abandons Taiwan, it will change the world fundamentally for the worst.

Graham never wavered in his support for Taiwan. He visited Taiwan three times, including an April 2022 bipartisan congressional delegation he led that flew to Taiwan on a US military aircraft. Tsai Ing-wen was the president back during that visit, and the delegation was the first item on Tsai’s agenda after her home quarantine was finished. Graham introduced the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which was seen as a breakthrough for US-Taiwan relations, as it involved arms sales from the US.

Jean Kuo
Legislator (DPP)
I’m incredibly saddened to hear of his passing. Going forward, we’ll need to continue working with a bipartisan approach that involves up and coming American members of Congress. By not differentiating between Democrats and Republicans, we’ll be able to establish channels of communication that’ll ensure the efforts of those in the US Congress who support Taiwan will be able to continue to offer their support.

Graham’s office confirmed his cause of death was an aortic dissection. Graham had intended to run for a 5th term as senator, which is a goal that, like Graham’s sudden passing, ended on July 11.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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#Taiwan #armssales #LindseyGraham #NATO #heartattack #Trump

美參議員葛瑞姆"主動脈剝離驟逝" 賴總統:台灣失去重要友人

2026-07-13

美國共和黨重量級參議員葛瑞姆，11號突然因主動脈剝離去世，享壽71歲。他曾3度到訪台灣，還提出台灣政策法案，將台灣列為「主要非北約盟友」，以及「優先考慮並加快」對台軍售等，展現挺台決心，總統賴清德在得知他的死訊後，發文哀悼"台灣失去一位重要友人"。

烏克蘭總統澤倫斯基送上生日祝福，但沒想到這竟會是美國共和黨，重量級參議員葛瑞姆，最後一次公開亮相。

[[CNN主播]]
“他是因短暫突發的疾病死亡”

2003年開始擔任參議員的葛瑞姆，是美國總統川普最緊密的政治盟友，沒想到這個月才過完71歲生日，就傳出不幸消息。

[[美國總統川普(2023.1.23)]]
“葛瑞姆是我長期以來的朋友，我們並不是永遠意見一致但沒關係，但他是個了不起的政治人物，優秀的愛國人士”

葛瑞姆2016曾角逐共和黨總統候選人提名，在黨內頗具影響力，川普悼念重要盟友，下令全美降半旗致哀。總統賴清德也在X平台發文寫下，對於葛瑞姆參議員的驟逝，感到深切的悲痛，身為台灣真正的朋友，將永遠被我們銘記在心。

[[美國參議員葛瑞姆(2022.4.15)]]
“大家常問中國侵略台灣，美國會怎麼做，美軍在印太區域不是要征服，而是要保護盟友，如果美國拋棄台灣，顯然會讓全世界變得更糟”

堅定不移的挺台立場，葛瑞姆生前曾三度造訪台灣，2022年4月疫情期間，他率團搭乘行政專機抵台；時任總統蔡英文解除居家隔離後，第一個公開行程就是接見他們。爾後，他隨即推動"2022台灣政策法案"，將台灣列為「主要非北約盟友」，以及「優先考慮並加快」對台軍售等，被視為台美關係的重大突破。

[[立委(民) 郭昱晴]]
“感到非常的由衷不捨跟哀痛，接著下來其實還是要，繼續的經營跨黨派的一個，跟美國新時代國會議員的互動，不分民主跟共和兩黨，全面來建立常態性的溝通管道，讓挺台的力量持續在美國的國會，繼續的放大”

葛瑞姆辦公室隨後也證實，死因是主動脈剝離。原本今年要繼續挑戰第五個參議員任期的葛瑞姆，政治生涯在71歲這一年嘎然而止。

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Five-star hotel offers local Tainan favorites targeting summer travelers

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A wok is heated until is glows red. Then comes the oil, quickly followed by eel stir-fried in the roaring flames and tossed with noodles. After mere seconds, this meal of Tainan eel noodles is ready to serve.

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Mr. Liu
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Wei Shih-chang
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We try to keep it as close to its authentic, original taste as possible. Partnering with a hotel means they’ll help us generate exposure, whether for our shop or for Tainan as a whole.

This five-star hotel in Taipei invited famous restaurants in Tainan to bring their specialities up north. These gelatinous rice cakes are even served in traditional wooden barrels and bicycles from the Japanese era. The freshly steamed shrimp meatballs are delicious with a drizzle of sauce. And be sure to follow it up with a refreshing cup of A Mei Ma’s tea. With the stock market hitting new highs, more people are willing to splurge on buffets than ever before.

Member of public
Doesn’t look at price
The stock market has given me more pocket money lately, so it makes you want to spend a bit more, like on travel abroad or restaurants. I don’t even look at the price so much.

Chen Mu-shan
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We brought in several legacy shops from Tainan to launch this Tainan Food Culture Festival. Driven by the stock market’s performance, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in dining voucher sales and reservations, which have boosted revenue by 10% to 20%.

The hotel is also offering more bang for your buck by giving out raffle tickets for traditional Tainan pudding and creative products, including a grand prize of a dining voucher for NT$20,000.

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As a semi-automatic wok turns, waves of a rich crispy aroma permeate the air

- You have to stir it or it will get stuck and burn.

This jerky and pork floss shop in Yuanlin City in Changhua has been in business for 40 years and has strong appeal for customers spanning three generations.

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Discerning customers can tell with one bite that the owner uses only fresh, warm pork to maintain its elasticity.

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Scooter got damaged
I saw it when I was about to get on my scooter. Chunks of the façade came off and destroyed the headlights completely. The building management told me to leave my phone number, but they haven’t called me! Not yesterday nor today! They hadn’t even fenced the area off last night, and they let people keep walking past.

The crash site has since been cordoned off, and warnings have been put up. But the scooter owner says the most infuriating thing is the response from management. On a social media post he said, “It was just a scooter this time, but what if it had crushed someone?”

Voice of scooter owner
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It’s not the first time that the façade crumbled. If this is their attitude when a vehicle gets damaged, what would it be if a person got hurt?

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