Taiwan and Europe face the same threat from authoritarianism, President William Lai (賴清德) said today, marking 80 years since the end of World War II in Europe and warning that indulging aggressors only whets their appetite for expansion.
Taiwan has faced increased military pressure from China, including war games, as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims over the country, and has sought joint cause with Europe from the risk it faces from Russia.
Speaking to an audience including European, British, Japanese, Canadian and US diplomats based in Taiwan, Lai said Taiwan shares the same values as many of the democracies who fought in World War II.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
"At many points in history, people have thought to give the aggressor a small concession to earn peace," Lai said at the Taipei Guest House, the residence of the governor-general under Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan, which ended in 1945.
"But as we all know from the painful lessons of World War II, indulging aggressors with a taste of expansion only whets their appetite; it makes them more confident and hungrier for more," he said.
Lai's speech coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping's (習近平) visit to Russia for Moscow's military parade tomorrow to mark the war's end.
In an article for a Russian newspaper published yesterday, Xi said Taiwan legally belonged to China and no matter how the situation on Taiwan evolved or "what troubles external forces may make," the trend toward "reunification" was unstoppable.
Lai did not directly mention Russia or China by name, but said Taiwan and Europe face "the threat of a new authoritarian bloc," pointing to issues like damage to undersea cables — which both Taiwan and Europe have complained about — election interference and spread of disinformation.
"Lovers of freedom around the world, both individuals and nations, must work together now in tight solidarity, before risks turn into crises and before crises are taken advantage of by those with ambitions for outward expansion," he said.
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