Dr. Lin Chia-lung
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
September 29, 2025
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Dr. Katarzyna Pisarska, Chair of the Warsaw Security Forum;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good afternoon!
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, I am delighted to participate in the Warsaw Security Forum. I sincerely thank Chair Pisarska for the kind invitation.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the importance of reinventing global democratic supply chain. In recent years, four main factors have redefined global supply chains. First of all, the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the vulnerabilities of our economies. Then regional crises—such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine—further destabilized the already fragile rules-based international order. And now, the convergence of authoritarian regimes such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea threatens free trade and global security. All this is complicated by the rise of nationalism and deglobalization, which hinder the collaborative efforts of democratic partners. Against this backdrop, it is imperative for like-minded countries worldwide to unite in solidarity and work to restructure global democratic supply chains.
As an indispensable member of the international community, Taiwan is a reliable partner that plays a vital role in enhancing resilient and trusted global supply chains. Producing over 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, Taiwan is the backbone of the global tech ecosystem. It has also become a pivotal force driving technological advancement in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
Taiwan’s unmatched position is the result of decades of strategic investment, unwavering dedication, and precise positioning. As NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has noted, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s success stems not from doing it alone but from integrating itself into global supply chains.
Taiwan cannot do it alone either. By partnering with Europe, Taiwan can help amplify Europe’s industrial might and remarkable capacity for innovation. Taiwan, with its prowess in advanced semiconductors and electronics, stands ready to serve as a key enabler, helping to amplify the strengths of European leaders. Just as it has done for the most prominent Silicon Valley tech giants, Taiwan can also be a kingmaker for future European champions of industries.
I therefore earnestly encourage our European partners and businesses to further deepen their investment in Taiwan. In 2024, European investment in Taiwan reached approximately 1.3 billion US dollars. This is a testament to the vitality of our economic ties. Yet, this dynamic relationship holds even greater potential for expansion and diversification. In the meantime, I also sincerely hope that our European friends will introduce more pragmatic and forward-looking policies to welcome Taiwan’s vibrant and dynamic enterprises as they seek to expand into the European market. Such mutual engagement will not only deepen our economic partnership but also serve as a catalyst for our shared prosperity and innovation across both regions.
Through such economic interaction, Taiwan and Europe can forge a powerful synergy—one that fosters a resilient and diversified tech ecosystem and contributes to Europe’s strategic reindustrialization, which is essential in ReArming Europe. The success of this type of collaboration can already be seen in Germany at the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. This joint venture between the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and its European partners marks a significant step in boosting cooperation between our two sides.
Through semiconductor innovation, AI on chip continues to shape the global economy and drives the AI industrial revolution. Europe has launched both the “Digital Europe Programme” and the “AI Continent Action Plan”. Together, these initiatives aim to shape the digital transformation of Europe’s society, and boost economy through strategic investment, making Europe a global leader in AI. Taiwan is the number one supplier in the world for not only chips that compute for AI but also servers that host AI systems. Taiwan should be the most critical partner for Europe’s future success to achieve its AI ambition. I encourage Europe to “chip in” with Taiwan in its AI innovation.
In today’s interconnected global economy, trust has emerged as one of the most valuable assets. As economic security becomes inseparable from national security, companies seeking long-term profitability must also uphold democratic values.
Today, authoritarian regimes—mainly China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have formed an axis of upheaval to challenge the rules-based international order. And China is largely seen as the decisive enabler behind Russian’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, democracies around the world must act in concert to counter the existential and systemic threat.
In Europe, democratic security faces mounting threats from Russia’s hybrid operations targeting critical infrastructure. These challenges are similar to those faced by Taiwan. China continues to employ gray-zone tactics, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and military exercises in an attempt to undermine people’s trust in the government.
In response to those emerging security challenges, Taiwan has increased its defense spending to 3.32% of GDP over the next year, surpassing the defending spending of many European countries. This figure is set to rise steadily and will reach 5% by 2030. This will help increase our military capacity and boost whole-of-society defense resilience. In parallel, Europe’s ReArm Europe Plan initiative and NATO members’ pledge to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense by 2035 reflect a shared and resolute commitment, which underscores our unwavering determination to safeguard our cherished democratic values and way of life.
On the other hand, authoritarian regimes are also weaponizing interconnectedness and using the vulnerabilities of our free and open societies to undermine global economic stability and reshape the geopolitical landscape to their advantage.
Dr. Morris Chang, founder of TSMC, once stated, “Globalization in the chip sector is dead.” In today’s world, national security takes precedence over profits. The semiconductor industry, once a symbol of global integration, is now at the very core of the strategic competition between democracies and authoritarians. In response, Taiwan calls on its partners to jointly establish non-red supply chains, which are based on a ring of trust among our democratic allies to protect our industrial survival and the continuity of our democracy. Poland is a NATO member, an EU country, and a frontline defender of European freedom in the face of Russian aggression. As such, it is especially meaningful for us to discuss these issues today.
The security of Taiwan and Europe is inseparable. Taiwan, located at the heart of the first island chain, stands on the front line of the global contest between democracy and autocracy. By advancing critical technologies, fostering whole-of-society resilience, and investing in self-defense capabilities, Taiwan has demonstrated its staunch determination to safeguard democracy. Democratic partners such as the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Philippines are also seeking to uphold peace in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, strategic minilateral platforms such as AUKUS bolster security and stability in the region.
Taiwan thanks like-minded countries for helping maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, without which the security of the Euro-Atlantic region—already strained by the prolonged war in Ukraine—would face further challenges. Taiwan is also committed to working hand in hand with our European allies. It is high time for Europe to stand with Taiwan to forge a robust coalition for our shared values and to halt the expansion of authoritarian regimes. Taiwan is ready to work with Europe, is Europe ready to work with Taiwan?
Allow me to remind our friends: even if Ukraine and Russia can strike a peace deal in the future, Russia will remain there. Through this war in Ukraine, the revanchist Russia is fully resurrected, looking to restore its imperialist glory. Our democratic countries need to work together.
Democratic Taiwan is a trusted and reliable partner and its industries form the bedrock of global high-tech industries. Building on the values-based diplomacy, Taiwan seeks to achieve value-creation diplomacy. Based on our shared ideals, we can work together to generate economic value and enduring prosperity for generations to come.
To realize this goal, Taiwan will leverage the Five Trusted Industry Sectors—namely semiconductors, next-generation communications, AI, defense, and surveillance. Represented by the initials S, C, A, D, and S, these sectors together offer “scads” or plenty of opportunities for deepening cooperation between Taiwan and Europe. This initiative lays the foundation for a new strategic platform, through which both sides can jointly develop cutting-edge technologies and strengthen the resilience of our shared supply chains. We refer to this initiative of building trusted supply chain in critical industries as the “Trusted Technology Taiwan” or the “Triple-T” Strategy.
Under this framework, I am confident that the already strong bonds between Taiwan and Europe will steadily deepen. It will also advance Taiwan’s aspiration to become a nation with an ever-growing economy where the sun never sets—a vision that is swiftly becoming reality. Your commitment to shared values and strategic cooperation with Taiwan continues to underpin bilateral relations and become the bedrock of our progresses.
Earlier this year, President Lai Ching-te unveiled an initiative on global semiconductor supply chain partnerships for democracies. It boldly aims to connect Taiwan with Europe, the United States, and other like-minded partners to construct more resilient, diversified, and values-driven semiconductor ecosystems, as well as democratic supply chains.
But it’s not only technology that Taiwan aspires to deepen its cooperation with Europe, where our modern civilization comes from. We look forward to moving beyond the tech cooperation into cultural exchanges. Taiwan is a wonderland that possess both tradition and modern cultures. This is the reason why I promote “Taiwan Culture Year in Europe” program starting from this year. Through these connections, Taiwan and Europe can form a golden triangle of culture, technology and democracy that bring our peoples, our businesses, and our governments ever closer.
As I shared with my European friends, “From tech to culture, Taiwan leads the future”. A future of freedom and democracy that spurs technology innovations and nurtures our multicultural societies which will be more resilient than ever. We grow stronger together as democracies. To achieve this vision, Taiwan is ready to contribute its expertise to help our European partners to further turn your advantages into ever bigger successes. Taiwan is your reliable partner in not only protecting democratic and multicultural values, but also, through collaboration among democratic allies in the reinvention of our global supply chains, creating economic values for our peace-loving people.
Thank you and I wish all of us and our countries great successes in defending our freedom and democracy!