Ukraine’s victory in repelling an ongoing Russian invasion would be the best deterrent to authoritarian expansion, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at an international security event in Canada on Saturday.
Tsai made the remarks at the annual Halifax International Security Forum (Halifax Forum), where she received the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service, which she was awarded in 2021 in recognition of her leadership in defending Taiwan’s democracy and standing up to Chinese aggression.
Tsai was unable to receive the prize in person in 2021 due to her role as president at the time, and travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: The Canadian Press via AP
The use of coercion and force by authoritarian powers are serious challenges to all members of democratic society, and it is with urgency that democracies must establish strong national defense, she said.
Cooperation among democracies is more important than ever, as authoritarian regimes become stronger and more confident, and even collude with each other in the pursuit of their interests, she said, adding that the challenges posed by authoritarian regimes are exacerbated by issues like inflation, unemployment and an economic downturn.
“The Ukrainian case woke democracies up to the fact that our adversaries have no reservations about boosting their military arsenals,” she said.
“And they have been relentless in exerting ever-greater pressure on us, including through the increasing use of ‘gray zone’ activities,” she added.
Effectively deterring the expansion of authoritarianism is a cornerstone of safeguarding democratic institutions and maintaining global order, and is the reason that continued support for Ukraine is imperative, she said.
“A Ukrainian victory will serve as the most effective deterrence against future aggression,” she said.
Speaking on the issue of national defense, Tsai said that Taiwan is investing in traditional military equipment such as fighter jets, while also vigorously developing asymmetric combat capabilities such as mobile land-based anti-ship cruise missiles.
Taiwan has also established a civil defense agency to bolster the defense resilience of the nation’s society as a whole, she said, adding that this demonstrates the country’s willingness to shoulder its own defense responsibilities and not take the support of security partners for granted.
However, Taiwan — like other countries — is increasingly facing non-kinetic threats in the form of cognitive warfare, she said.
“Each and every democracy has to contend with FIMI, that is foreign information manipulations and interference, as well as cognitive warfare,” she said, adding that like-minded countries must cooperate to counter those threats.
Tsai also acknowledged international support for Taiwan.
“From the G7 to the EU, as reflected in the numerous statements by leaders at important gatherings, the international democratic community has been unanimous in its stance that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are indispensable to global security and prosperity,” she said.
Free navigation through the Taiwan Strait is important to international shipping and trade, and is crucial to Taiwan’s security, she said.
“I would like to thank all international partners who are paying attention and working together to ensure the security of our region,” she said.
In concluding her 20-minute speech, Tsai revealed that HFX, the Washington-based organization that convenes the Halifax International Security Forum, is to hold a session in Taiwan in February next year.
She invited the attendees to visit Taiwan to witness “our beautiful scenery, enjoy our culture and most importantly, to meet our wonderful people, who are so determined and work so hard to protect our hard-earned democracy.”
Additional reporting by CNA
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
Taiwan is hosting the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) for the first time, welcoming more than 400 young linguists from 43 nations to National Taiwan University (NTU). Deputy Minister of Education Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said at the opening ceremony yesterday that language passes down knowledge and culture, and influences the way humankind thinks and understands the world. Taiwan is a multicultural and multilingual nation, with Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, 16 indigenous languages and Taiwan Sign Language all used, Chu said. In addition, Taiwan promotes multilingual education, emphasizes the cultural significance of languages and supports the international mother language movement, he said. Taiwan has long participated
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
RSS