President Tsai Ing-wen says she hopes that Taiwan can work with a US nonprofit organization for democracy to further strengthen the mobilization of all people for defense and enhance the resilience of society. The organization is the US National Endowment for Democracy. The organization’s president Damon Wilson is in Taiwan for a four-day visit.
At a speech welcoming Wilson, Tsai said that Wilson not only works with civil groups in Ukraine in the midst of the Ukraine War, but also with defense organizations in Sweden and Finland. Tsai said she hopes that Taiwanese civic groups can work with the endowment and learn from it.
Tsai said that authoritarian countries are actively spreading misinformation. She said Taiwan hopes to share its experience in combating misinformation with the endowment.
Meanwhile in his speech, Wilson said “I am Taiwanese” in Mandarin Chinese. Wilson said he chose Taiwan as his first stop on his first visit to Asia to show his support for Taiwan and to work with Taiwan to protect global democracy.
Wilson said the endowment will be co-hosting along with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy at the 11th Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Taipei in October. He said Taiwan will play an important role in allowing more people to understand and support Taiwan’s democracy.