Radio Taiwan International (Rti) held a forum in Germany on Tuesday with the topic of “Taiwan Strategies at a Time of Global Upheaval.” In total, over 60 local academic and media representatives joined in discussions surrounding Taiwan’s election, soft power, as well as domestic and international challenges.
University of Southhampton Professor Ming-chin Monique Chu (朱明琴) recognized that Taiwan has received an increasing amount of attention from the international community due to its key role in the semiconductor industry and shared values with Western democracies. Journalist Cornelius Dieckmann pointed out that the attention it has received in Europe specifically has also significantly increased since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The Prospect Foundation President Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) told the forum that Taiwan’s democratic system still faces challenges including the proliferation of fake news and foreign influence on voting through social media. He said that he believes Asia entered a cold war before Europe did, and Taiwan is front and center in the storm of democracy versus dictatorship. Considering the balance of freedom, Lai likened Hong Kong to East Berlin and Taiwan to West Berlin.
At the end of the forum, Rti Chairperson Cheryl Lai (賴秀如) reflected on the past, emphasizing that Rti has come a long way, transforming itself into a public media owned by the people. In recent years Rti has opened Burmese and Ukrainian services, paying close attention to changes in global politics.