Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says his visit to Taiwan is a show of “strong support” for the Taiwanese people’s right to decide their own future. That comment came when a delegation from the Alliance of Democracies Foundation led by Rasmussen met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday.
Rasmussen says his visit to Taiwan also shows “strong support” for the right of the Taiwanese to “exist in freedom and peace.” He adds that democratic countries constitute over 60% of the world economy. Rasmussen believes they could be a “formidable force” in deterring autocratic governments like Beijing.
Rasmussen served as Danish prime minister from 2001 to 2009 and NATO secretary general between 2009 and 2014. The alliance delegation he leads arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday and will stay until Thursday.
Tsai said at the meeting that Taiwan will continue to develop its defensive capabilities and work together with its democratic allies to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Late last month, she announced the extension of compulsory military service from four months to one year starting in 2024.