Jaushieh Joseph Wu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
January 28, 2022
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good afternoon!
It is my honor and great pleasure to attend the opening ceremony of the Taipei office of the European Values Center for Security Policy. I would like to express my appreciation to everyone from Taiwan and the Czech Republic who has helped make this office a reality.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the remarkable cooperation we have with the EVC. Since 2019, we have been participating in the annual STRATCOM Summit. Last year, I was invited to give a speech on how democracies can build resilience against disinformation campaigns orchestrated by authoritarian regimes. Today, I am thrilled to see the EVC open an office in Taipei.
The EVC is the first Czech and the second European think tank to set up a presence in Taiwan. The establishment of the Taipei office is an example of what can be achieved when vibrant democracies work together. By standing shoulder to shoulder, we send a very clear message to the world that our partnerships are stronger than ever.
As I said at the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague last year, even though we are thousands of miles apart with distinctively different cultural roots, we are connected by our common passion for freedom and democracy. These shared principles offer a solid foundation for us to develop friendships across the public, private, and civil society sectors, and work with solidarity against the spread of authoritarianism.
As authoritarian regimes try to expand their influence and undermine our core values, cooperation is vital. It is my sincere hope that the EVC's Taipei office can share its expertise with researchers and institutes in Taiwan. I am confident that these exchanges will produce valuable insights and practical countermeasures to combat the hybrid threats of disinformation, cyberattacks, and economic coercion.
Lastly, I would like to encourage the international community to come and conduct academic exchanges in Taiwan, where is an open and democratic society and has abundant educational resources.
In closing, I am grateful to Director Janda and Dr. Lin for hosting this opening ceremony, as well as all the other participants for being here today. I wish the EVC office in Taipei every success. Thank you!