Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday in Budapest, Hungary, that her speech at the opening ceremony of the 51st congress of Liberal International has successfully drawn attention to China's suppression and isolation of Taiwan.
"I believe that [after my speech] the world leaders at the congress will pay more attention to Taiwan's situation," Lu told reporters.
"They told me that they would think about how to improve relations with Taiwan after returning to their countries."
Lu stressed that the congress participants are some 600 high-profile liberal-democrats from 63 nations. Most of them are parliamentarians or leaders of political parties.
"The list of participants shows that representatives from 15 countries are top policy-making officials," Lu said.
The vice president said that the audience buzzed when she talked about how so many Western democratic countries had given in to China's bullying and restricted the freedom of Taiwan's leaders to travel abroad.
"My solemn condemnation met with huge applause from the audience, which brought me immense consolation. I hope this tearful protest can earn Taiwan some long-overdue justice from the international community," Lu said.
The congress had invited Lu to deliver a speech at its annual meeting in Ottawa last year, but the plan was thwarted due to the Canadian government's refusal to issue Lu a visa.
Lu said she didn't intend to lay blame, but hoped that the audience would give serious thought about international justice and ask themselves why countries which defend freedom and human rights would want to deal with an authoritarian Beijing regime.
"Are they simply hypnotized by their businesses' potential earnings in China, or are they hypocritical about the common values that we liberals stand for?" Lu asked.
Taiwan must be proactive, progressive and aggressive, and cannot be too conservative, if it wants to be a member of the international community, Lu said.
International fairness and justice lies in people's hearts, and Taiwan can "go all over the world with righteousness on its side," she said.
Taiwan must take the opportunity to make just appeals, winning recognition and support, so as to fight and break through China's international blockade and to raise the nation's international visibility, Lu said.
Lu denied that her address was meant to be provocative and raise cross-strait tension. She said she just wanted to focus on the issue at hand because Taiwan has long been treated in an insulting manner and lacks a sound international identity.
"I hope that the international community will do justice to Taiwan and fight for ROC leaders' freedom to travel abroad," Lu said.
The vice president hoped that other countries would be willing to follow Hungary's example of allowing Taiwanese officials to visit. "From now on, I will arrange for more foreign visits," Lu said.
"I hope the Beijing authorities can reconsider and accept the change [in the views] of the international community, which I refer to as `Taiwan's spring.'"
Lu and her delegation will arrive at CKS International Airport this morning.
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
BREAKTHROUGH: The US is making chips on par in yield and quality with Taiwan, despite people saying that it could not happen, the official said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer (nm) chips for US customers in Arizona, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, a milestone in the semiconductor efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden. In November last year, the commerce department finalized a US$6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s US unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo said, adding that production had begun in recent
Seven hundred and sixty-four foreigners were arrested last year for acting as money mules for criminals, with many entering Taiwan on a tourist visa for all-expenses-paid trips, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Saturday. Although from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 last year, 26,478 people were arrested for working as money mules, the bureau said it was particularly concerned about those entering the country as tourists or migrant workers who help criminals and scammers pick up or transfer illegally obtained money. In a report, officials divided the money mules into two groups, the first of which are foreigners, mainly from Malaysia
RSS