Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu delivered a keynote speech at the European Values Summit June 14 in Prague, calling on members of the democratic world to support Taiwan in the face of authoritarian expansion.
First held in 2016 by Czech Republic-based think tank European Values Center for Security Policy, the one-day summit is considered one of the most important events in the field and regularly attracts around 200 experts and representatives from NATO, EU member states and allied institutions and countries. This year’s event also featured opening remarks by Czech President Petr Pavel.
In his speech titled “One Theater, One World and One Vision,” Wu condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying that such actions violate human rights, run counter to U.N. Charter Chapter VI on resolving differences through peaceful means and jeopardize the rules-based international order.
The ongoing war is also impacting the Indo-Pacific, the minister said, adding that Taiwan and its regional partners stand with Ukraine as they resist authoritarian expansion in their own part of the world.
According to Wu, China is ramping up economic coercion and gray zone tactics in Asia. These include sending warplanes and military vessels to patrol airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan, as well as launching cognitive warfare, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns in an attempt to destabilize Taiwan’s open society, he added.
The minister said that while the EU and Asia-Pacific are geographically separated, the two are interconnected in many other ways. Since Taiwan supplies more than 90 percent of high-end semiconductor chips to the rest of the world and over half of international cargo passes through the Taiwan Strait, a war in the region will have a devasting impact on the global economy.
The free world’s increasing awareness of such threats is an encouraging development, Wu said. He took the opportunity to thank the leaders and governments of G7 nations and EU member states for reaffirming the importance of cross-strait peace and stability.
He also expressed his appreciation to Taiwan’s friends in Europe for their support, especially Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova for leading delegations to Taiwan despite immense pressure not to.
It is the responsibility of both sides of the strait to maintain the peaceful status quo, the minister said. The government will continue working with like-minded partners to safeguard the shared values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights and the rule of law, he added. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw