The viewpoint of Taiwan is more important than ever for Asia-
Pacific democracies when facing current challenges, former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said in Taipei yesterday.
Turnbull made the remark in his keynote speech titled “Democratic Leadership in a Populist Age” at an annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI) think tank.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The challenges posed by authoritarian governments are becoming more serious, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made NATO stronger and the Western world more united in defending democracy, he said.
Ukrainians’ tenacious and courageous fight against Russia demonstrated that “democracies must support each other,” Turnbull said.
Democracies in the Asia-Pacific region should “ensure the strong does not do as they will,” and defend democracy and the right of nations to determine their own destinies free from coercion, he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Another great threat to democracy is disinformation, spread by external forces and domestic conspiracy theorists, Turnbull said.
He warned against the dominance of social media, which has transformed the media landscape and made society more divided.
A diversity of voices helps reduce the risk of monopolies, but audiences in today’s world often only hear the voice most similar to their own and media are striving to capture their attention by presenting increasingly extreme views, Turnbull said.
To defend democratic resilience in the social media era, people need to “stand up for truth and call out lies for what they are,” which requires input from the government and responsible media organizations, he said.
Trust can be built on the foundation of truth and transparency, he added.
Turnbull, who serves as chair of CAPRI’s International Advisory Council, is making his first visit to Taiwan.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), in his speech at the forum, said that Taiwan demonstrated economic and industrial endurance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to bolster the resilience of its economy, workforce and the environment.
Global challenges, such as the pandemic, climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war, “have made evident just how vulnerable and helpless national economies and global supply chains are in the face of sudden extreme risks,” Chen said.
To combat challenges beyond national borders, “we must all rely on working together with like-minded countries to adopt consistent and effective responses,” he said.
“Be prepared for danger in times of peace” is a motto Taiwanese live by, he added.
Despite being excluded from the UN system, Taiwan “has consistently fulfilled its responsibility as a member of the global village” by promoting the transition to net zero emissions, he said.
“Taiwan is glad to share its experience in post-pandemic national resilience-building with the global community,” and looks forward to working with international partners to promote resilience and prosperity, Chen said.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
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