Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Good morning!

I want to start by thanking Dr. Su for inviting me to be with you today. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I applaud the work done by the Association of International Relations and National Taiwan Normal University in putting together this conference. I admire both your organizations for your long-term promotion of international scholarly exchanges.

Today, the international political and economic situation is undergoing changes. We are facing challenges and threats of unprecedented complexity. This conference is a meaningful opportunity to discuss how Taiwan should respond to international trends and boost its international participation.

This year has proven to be one of extreme changes in the international arena. COVID-19 spread worldwide due to China’s early cover-up. As a result, over 60 million people have become infected and over 1 million have died. The lockdowns imposed have created great economic pain and heralded a needed restructuring of industrial supply chains. But every crisis harbors opportunity. COVID-19 is a fresh reminder that disease knows no borders and that global cooperation on public health is crucial. Taiwan’s successful battle against the disease has increased our international visibility. Foreign media have published nearly 3,500 articles on Taiwan’s antipandemic achievements.

We have also assisted other countries in the spirit of Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping. We have shared the Taiwan model of antipandemic efforts, while donating over 50 million surgical masks and other antipandemic supplies to more than 80 countries. Through this, we have shown that Taiwan is a force for good. Our efforts have been widely praised around the world. While I was posted to India, I donated a million masks on behalf of our government. The government and people of India were generous in their thanks and praise. Taiwan is a successful example of antipandemic efforts, and has worked with the international community to fight the disease. Delegations from the United States, Japan, and the Czech Republic visited Taiwan during this period in a sign of friendship despite facing strong opposition from China.

Taiwan and the United States have always enjoyed a close friendship. We have built a solid base of mutual trust and are continuing to strengthen our cooperative relationship in the political, security, and economic realms. Supporting Taiwan is a consensus across the aisle in Washington, and is in line with mainstream public opinion. US policy toward Taiwan has been continual and consistent. It has not drastically changed as administrations have come and gone. Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office, for example, the US has announced 10 rounds of arms sales to Taiwan and passed a number of laws friendly to Taiwan. Earlier this month, we held the first Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue and signed a memorandum of understanding covering the next five years. We are working together on the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, a platform for multilateral cooperation that is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. We will continue to build on this solid foundation to steadily improve global Taiwan-US cooperation based on our shared values of democracy, freedom, and a market economy.

As regards economic integration in the Asia-Pacific, we are working through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to improve engagement with countries across the region and create momentum for our participation in such integration. In addition to discussing the signing of bilateral free trade agreements, we are also working to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. We will continue to monitor related developments and expand opportunities to cooperate with New Southbound Policy partner nations. We are active participants in the World Trade Organization and APEC. Moreover, we are boosting our competitiveness on the strength of our semiconductor industry and other elements of the high-end manufacturing supply chain. At this year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, our Leader’s Representative Morris Chang said that Taiwan holds an important position in the global digital technology supply chain. He expressed the hope of building a digital future with other APEC economies in the postpandemic era.

Taiwan is also striving to join other international organizations. This year, our bid to join the World Health Assembly received unprecedented international support. In addition to our diplomatic allies, key political leaders such as then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered public support in different forms for our participating as an observer. During the resumed session of the WHA, over 1,700 legislators from around the world made a public declaration of support for Taiwan’s inclusion. We regret China’s decision to put politics above health, which undermined the right to health of the Taiwanese people and prevented us from sharing our antipandemic experience with other countries during the WHA sessions.

During this pandemic, China has once again revealed its intent to reshape the international order and has shown itself to be the greatest threat to democracy. China has not joined international antipandemic efforts, but rather has taken this opportunity to deliver a multilayered security, economic, and military threat to the Indo-Pacific region. It has employed “wolf-warrior diplomacy” and sharp power while spreading disinformation. It has also continued to promote the Belt and Road Initiative as a way of influencing, pressuring, infiltrating, and controlling other countries. The Chinese Communist Party has ignored international criticism while passing the Hong Kong national security law and depriving the people of Xinjiang and Tibet of their human rights. Moreover, China has kept Taiwan under constant pressure. This has been particularly true lately, when it has been searching for a scapegoat as it deals with multiple external and internal crises. This has been its motivation for intimidating Taiwan. China’s actions are a unilateral attempt to disrupt the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and represent a threat to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

The international community has grown aware of China’s hegemonic intent and has taken steps in response. The US has adopted the Indo-Pacific Strategy and some European nations have started to adjust their China policy. As the international situation has changed, Taiwan has held fast to its principles of steadfast diplomacy and mutual assistance for mutual benefit. Taiwan has shown its warm power by building true friendships around the world. As concerns China, we have been committed to exchanges based on peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue. In facing Chinese intimidation, we have neither engaged in provocation nor acted rashly. We believe the virtuous will not stand alone.

Ladies and gentlemen, Taiwan’s duty and goal as a responsible stakeholder are to maintain the peaceful, stable development of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan puts its ample soft power behind freedom, democracy, and human rights. We are at the forefront of historic change and trust that, by making the most of opportunities presented, we will improve our international standing and demonstrate that Taiwan is an irreplaceable member of the international community. I hope that discussions at this gathering will bolster our diplomatic efforts and that you will continue to work with us to overcome the challenges we face.

In closing, I wish this conference great success. Thank you!