President Tsai Ing-wen says Germany is a strong supporter of Taiwan's participation in the international community. Tsai made these remarks on Monday while meeting with a German delegation in Taipei.
This is the second German delegation to arrive in Taiwan in October. President Tsai says the two countries work well together in a variety of fields and they've signed many cooperative agreements during her six years in office. Last year, trade between Taiwan and Germany reached a record-breaking US$20 billion.
Tsai says both countries share similar values in terms of freedom and democracy. Germany has used its G7 presidency to advocate for cross-strait peace and Taiwan's observer status at the World Health Assembly.
President Tsai says the delegation is meeting with many human rights NGOs in Taiwan and she hopes these exchanges will help Taiwan share its views on democracy, freedom, and human rights with the international community.
Delegation leader Peter Heidt says he hopes to learn more about how Taiwan is dealing with threats from China, especially in terms of self-defense. He says Germany's standpoint is that if there are any changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, it must be done peacefully and with a consensus from both sides.
Heidt adds that he is a human rights advocate and thinks Taiwan should abolish the death penalty. He says enforcing this kind of punishment is inhumane not only to the criminal, but also to the judge and executioner.