Taiwan’s lack of recognition as a country unites nations that support freedom and could serve as an inspiration to democracies around the world, Lithuanian Member of Parliament Zygimantas Pavilionis said on Wednesday.
Pavilionis, who chairs the Lithuanian Committee on Foreign Affairs, made the comments during a virtual talk held by think tank the Center for European Policy Analysis.
Panelists at the event, titled “The US, Asia, and Europe: Toward a Common Democratic Agenda,” discussed how democracies in the three regions could work together to strengthen their commitment to democracy, and defend democratic norms and values around the world.
Pavilionis said that it was difficult to find another issue that united Europeans, Americans and people of “all other freedom-loving nations all around the world.”
“Taiwan unites us all,” he added.
“We need this unity so desperately, because after 15 years of democracy decline, we need some inspirations and examples of success stories,” Pavilionis said, adding that Taiwan could inspire democracies.
This inspiration can remind countries that human rights and democracy matter, he said.
Asked about China’s threats of economic retaliation against Lithuania because of warming ties with Taiwan, Pavilionis said that China does not understand the economy of Lithuania, nor the psyche of its people.
“I think they are doing exactly what we want, because it was my long-term dream to reorient us from trading with autocratic countries, like Russia and China, and go full speed into expanding relations with countries like Taiwan, Japan, Australia and South Korea,” Pavilionis said.
While dependency on autocratic countries limits one’s freedom of speech and freedom of choice, bolstering relations with democracies empowers them, Pavilionis said.
Also speaking to the forum, Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said that of the many ways that China has pressured Taiwan, economic coercion is the most complex and the hardest to manage.
Listing three ways to counter economic pressure, Hsiao said that, first, democratic governments can establish mechanisms that enable them to support each other’s economies, such as trade deals or more resilient supply chains.
She said that democratic countries can also use emerging technologies to bolster human progress and basic liberties, while cooperating on export controls and other initiatives to prevent autocratic nations for misusing the technology.
A third way is to have democratic societies use transparency on products’ origins to support countries that are being pressured by autocratic nations, Hsiao said.
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