On February 20th, Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Lai Ching-te met with a visiting delegation from the German Marshall Fund and the Taiwan-US Policy Program. Lai mentioned that over the past two years, the United States has become Taiwan’s largest destination for overseas direct investment, accounting for more than 40% of Taiwan’s total foreign investments. The adjustments and diversification in the economic and trade sectors aim to ensure Taiwan’s continuous prosperity and resilience as a society.
Vice President Lai stressed the importance of maintaining close ties and ongoing dialogues in the face of challenging times and rapidly changing geopolitical environments. She emphasized that Taiwan and the transatlantic community share values of freedom, democracy, and common interests in prosperity, security, and peace. Collaboration between the two sides is essential to address various challenges and actively seek opportunities to enhance mutual interests.
Lai expressed hope that the visiting delegation’s trip to Taiwan would deepen their understanding of Taiwanese society, which is rapidly evolving and progressing. While proud of Taiwan’s achievements, she acknowledged that there are areas where more effort is needed. Taiwan takes pride in its development as a mature and competitive democratic nation, despite domestic political challenges common to all democratic countries.
The Vice President commended the hard work and innovation of the Taiwanese people, making Taiwan a significant contributor to global prosperity and a key player in the technological supply chain. She highlighted the importance of maintaining Taiwan’s leading position, ensuring its indispensability, and actively promoting advancements across various sectors. With the development of the technology industry, Taiwan also focuses on balanced growth across different sectors. Artificial intelligence (AI) presents new opportunities that could benefit traditional industries and small and medium-sized enterprises, Lai added.
For many years, the United States has been Taiwan’s most important security partner and has now become a crucial partner in investment and trade. In recent years, the US has become Taiwan’s main destination for foreign direct investment, accounting for over 40% of Taiwan’s total external investments, a significant shift from over 80% of investments flowing to China in 2010. The adjustments and diversification in the economic and trade sectors aim to ensure Taiwan’s continued prosperity and resilience as a society.
Lai highlighted a significant policy promoted by President Lai since taking office, which is the institutionalization of the concept of “whole society defense resilience.” This policy aims to involve the private sector and partners in enhancing Taiwan’s infrastructure resilience, particularly in the face of natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons.
Given the increasingly severe complex threats, enhancing societal resilience to address various scenarios becomes more critical. Taiwan has learned lessons from countries in Europe, the Indo-Pacific region, and beyond in promoting societal resilience. Lai believes this issue is of great concern to transatlantic partners. She reiterated a warm welcome to the visiting delegation.
Furthermore, Vice President Lai, speaking at the closing ceremony of the Halifax Taipei Forum on February 21st, emphasized Taiwan’s outsized role as a force for justice and progress in the world, despite being a small nation. She stated that investing in Taiwan is investing in peace, and Taiwan is committed to cooperating with like-minded friends to uphold peace and development.
In an increasingly complex and escalating world conflicts and wars serve as a reminder that peace cannot be taken for granted. Strengthening self-defense capabilities remains crucial in preventing aggression, with economic resilience seen as a core component of national security in Taiwan. Through cooperation with ideological partners, Taiwan aims to contribute to global technological advancement and prosperity.
In conclusion, Vice President Lai cited a statement from a Canadian federal senator during a meeting on February 20th, “Do not mistake the humility and friendliness of our people for weakness.” Taiwan, committed to defending democracy and freedom, pursues peace through maintaining strength in a value-oriented realism framework.