In the face of mounting pressure from China, Taiwan is increasingly using its commitment to democratic values to broaden its international space. Two past events and one future one highlight these efforts.
US President Joe Biden will call a Summit for Democracy in December, and it is said Taiwan is on the list of invitees.
The American Institute in Taiwan has alluded to Taiwan’s participation in the summit in a recent press release. It says Taiwan can contribute to topics like countering authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and advancing human rights.
DPP legislator Luo Chih-cheng says discretion is the name of the game for the time being. He believes there will be a good plan for how and who will participate in the summit.
The KMT’s Chen I-hsin, meanwhile, says that his party supports Taiwan’s greater participation, but it is too early to say if President Tsai will really receive an invitation.
Taiwan isn’t sitting idly, waiting for an invitation to discuss democracy, though.
Earlier this week, a Taiwanese delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Tseng Hou-jen, took part in the third annual U.S.-Taiwan Consultations on Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific Region. Tseng said that Taiwan is at the forefront of resistance against authoritarianism and plays an important role in safeguarding global democracy.
According to the American Institute in Taiwan, the US and Taiwan discussed commitments for next year at the consultations. These include support for transparent governance, countering disinformation, and using Taiwan to promote democracy.
On Thursday, meanwhile, local politicians gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the opening ceremony of Taiwan’s newest representative office abroad. Lithuania’s Economy and Innovation Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė tweeted that Lithuania was happy this day had come.
The first head of an independent Lithuanian parliament, Vytautas Landsbergis, aged 89, also attended the opening of this first representative office in Europe to bear the name ‘Taiwan.’
The shared values of democracy and freedom allow Taiwan to expand its international space in the face of Chinese pressure.