Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit yesterday, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called on democracies to remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape and emphasized the importance of Taiwan's security to the world.
"Taiwan's security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism," Tsai said at the annual democracy forum in the Danish capital.
Photo: CNA
Noting a "new geopolitical landscape" in which existing global trade and security orders face "uncertainty and unpredictability," Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges.
"[Resilience] allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under pressure and emerge stronger," she said, adding that it is "the scaffolding of sustainable autonomy."
Tsai said that under her administration, Taiwan strengthened its resilience on several fronts by increasing defense spending, implementing military reforms and bolstering digital infrastructure.
Describing these efforts as a collective undertaking involving different sectors of society, Tsai said it was through "collaboration and information sharing" that Taiwan built a "fortress" against infiltration attempts and cognitive warfare by foreign actors.
Taiwan is also uniquely positioned to serve as a high-tech manufacturing hub within the democratic camp, and such "manufacturing agility enhances global supply chain resilience," especially in the electronics, green energy and healthcare sectors, Tsai said.
Taiwan would continue to share its resilience building with partners in the international community, Tsai said, vowing that "threats or coercion will never shake Taiwan's resolve to engage and contribute to the world."
Prior to giving a speech at the forum, Tsai, who arrived in Copenhagen earlier yesterday after concluding a visit to Lithuania, met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Pia Kjærsgaard.
In a social media post, Tsai thanked Kjærsgaard, who has visited Taiwan multiple times, for her efforts to advance ties between Taiwan and Denmark.
She expressed hope that Denmark and other European countries would continue to support Taiwan's democratic way of life and international participation.
Tsai is to also visit the UK as part of her European tour, her second since leaving office in May last year.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS