President Tsai Ing-wen (???) on Friday told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit virtually that Taiwanese are determined to defend their country and that Taiwan will continue working with like-minded nations to defend democracy from authoritarianism.
“I would like to stress that, like Ukraine, Taiwan will not bend to pressure,” Tsai said at the summit, organized by the Copenhagen-based Alliance of Democracies Foundation, referring to the way in which Ukrainians have resisted Russian forces since late February.
“Despite growing threats, we [Taiwanese] are determined to defend our country and our democratic way of life,” Tsai said, alluding to China’s military and political pressure on Taiwan.
The maintenance of democracy and regional peace and security remains a top priority for Taiwan, according to Tsai, who was addressing the summit for the third consecutive year.
Similar to many European democracies, Taiwan’s democracy was built on the sacrifices of those who fought against authoritarianism, Tsai said. “We have a shared understanding of how difficult it is to realize democracy.”
Tsai said Taiwan remains committed to working with regional and global partners to promote democracy and combat authoritarian influence, adding that “by working together, standing united, and believing in the values of democracy and freedom, we will always achieve our goals.”
At the same time, Taiwan looks forward to strengthening its cooperation with Europe, Tsai said, noting that “trade and investment cooperation will continue to be a key pillar of our collective resilience and response to authoritarianism.”
She said Taiwan stands ready to serve as “an indispensable partner to Europe” and wishes to be involved in European Union initiatives, such as the Global Gateway, a global investment plan launched by the European Commission in 2021.
“Taiwan is keen to take part in the grand strategies of connectivity that support quality infrastructure and investment while linking goods, people and services around the world,” Tsai said.
She added that the country’s high-tech sector can play a crucial part in creating secure global supply chains while protecting critical technologies from authoritarian exploitation.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel