Disapproving of the participation of the United States in the provision by the International Monetary Fund of a multibillion dollar funding package for the European Union, until the member states of the European Union comply with the economic requirements of membership in the European Union.

Mr. Speaker, I rise, along with the other co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus--Representative Shelley Berkley, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, and Representative Phil Gingrey--to recognize the service of Ronnie Chih-chien Lu. Mr. Lu is the outgoing Senior Officer in the Congressional Liaison Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, TECRO. Mr. Lu is returning to Taiwan for his next assignment as a diplomat. During his service as the TECRO contact for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Congressional Caucus on Taiwan, Mr. Lu has served as an invaluable resource for us.

In 2005, Mr. Lu was hand-picked to serve as a congressional liaison for TECRO. During his almost 7 year tenure in this position, Mr. Lu oversaw Congressional Delegation visits for over 30 Members of the House of Representatives and organized 12 Congressional Staff Delegation visits to Taiwan. Mr. Lu was also part of the TECRO team that worked toward the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 55, which commemorated the 30th Anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. He also worked to garner support for House Concurrent Resolution 266 (H. Con. Res. 266), which called for Taiwan's active participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization. H. Con. Res. 266 passed the House of Representatives in 2010.

Mr. Lu has served in Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2000. Early in his diplomatic career, he served in both the Department of Protocol and Department of African Affairs. Mr. Lu received a Master of Arts degree from National Chengchi University in Taiwan.

Though he secured many legislative victories for Taiwan while he served in Washington, DC, he made even more long-lasting relationships. My colleagues and our staff are proud to call him a friend, and we hope to see him back in Washington, DC one day.