Taiwan’s future should be decided by Taiwanese, German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group chairman Till Steffen said yesterday, while giving former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) a tour of the German parliament building.
Tsai arrived in Berlin on Sunday and the following day delivered a keynote speech at the Berlin Freedom Conference titled “Threats facing democracies: Taiwan’s experience defending freedom.”
Tsai yesterday attended a tea gathering at the Bundestag, joined by former friendship group chairman of 15 years Klaus-Peter Willsch, German defense affairs specialist Roderich Kiesewetter and Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Brand.
Photo: Screen grab from Tsai’s Facebook page
Noting that the Reichstag, the building that houses the German parliament, is at the former border between East and West Germany, Steffen said he wanted to convey to Taiwan that “Germany’s unification was decided by the parliaments freely elected by both East and West Germany.”
“Similarly, Taiwan’s future should be decided by a parliament freely elected by the Taiwanese people. This is the democratic choice we support,” he added.
Tsai said that Taiwan and Germany have many opportunities to work together, citing Germany’s strong industrial capabilities and Taiwan’s own technological prowess.
Photo: Screen grab from Tsai’s Facebook page
The two countries can work together on many issues, and both sides should make efforts to achieve these goals, she added.
Later writing on Facebook about Der Bevolkerung in the Reichstag, Tsai said that each lawmaker adds in a bag of earth from their constituency to the art installation.
It symbolizes that the fate of the nation should be determined by the people who live in it, she said.
In an interview with the German-language daily Die Welt, Tsai reiterated that Taiwan is determined to increase is self-defense capabilities.
In an age in which artificial intelligence is quickly gaining prevalence, Taiwan is critical for the continued development of global technology and economy, she said, adding that in semiconductors, Taiwan is irreplaceable in the near future.
As long as democratic partners worldwide continue to support Taiwan, it would be able to go from “Taiwan can help” to “Taiwan is supporting,” Tsai said.
Prior to her visit, Tsai said that as a trustworthy member of the international community, Taiwan would continue to stand with Europe and other like-minded countries to demonstrate its commitment to freedom and democracy.
Additional reporting by CNA
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