President William Lai (賴清德), speaking in a prerecorded video aired at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit yesterday, cited China’s alleged obstruction of his recent state visit to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only African ally, as evidence of authoritarian regimes worldwide “consolidating.”
The world is at a “critical inflection point” in the competition between democracy and authoritarianism, in which autocracies in Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region continue to consolidate, Lai said.
These regimes have resorted to military intimidation, economic coercion, cyberattacks and “gray zone” operations, that pose “ever more serious challenges” to peace, stability and democracy, Lai said.
Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s YouTube channel
“Last month, I had planned to lead a delegation to visit Eswatini,” he said. “However, we had to temporarily postpone the trip due to China’s coercive act of blocking normal flight routes.”
“These actions let the global democratic community see in no uncertain terms that authoritarian regimes are seeking to impose their own rules upon the world,” Lai added.
The move also demonstrated that China would not hesitate to undermine aviation safety and order for political leverage, and served as a reminder that “no democracies can afford to stand on the sidelines of expanding authoritarianism,” he said.
Lai stressed several times in his message that Taiwan is willing and able to contribute to the world, whether by leveraging its technological strengths to establish trusted and resilient “democratic” supply chains or sharing its experience of confronting authoritarianism at the center of the first island chain.
“The Taiwanese people have every right to engage with the international community, and they are more than capable of contributing to it,” he said. “No attempt to isolate Taiwan will alter our determination to participate in the international community.”
He thanked democratic partners that have supported Taiwan while under pressure, including the US for helping Taiwan enhance its defense capabilities, as well as Japan, Philippines and Australia for “speaking out with moral clarity in support of regional stability.”
The Copenhagen Democracy Summit, established in 2018, is an annual international forum organized by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation to bolster cooperation among democratic nations and address challenges facing liberal democracies, bringing together political leaders, academics and members of civil societies.
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