President Tsai Ing-wen’s national day address on Monday conveyed Taiwan’s hopes for greater interaction with the international community.
In her speech, Tsai said that the people of Taiwan “aspire to peace, pursue democracy, and long to go out into the world and do our part for the international community.”
The president spoke about her first overseas trip since taking office in May of this year, during which she visited diplomatic allies Paraguay and Panama. Tsai spoke about how she had interacted with many regional leaders during that trip, which was focused on the principles of “steadfast diplomacy” and “mutual assistance for mutual benefits”.
President Tsai also spoke about Vice President Chen Chien-jen’s trip to the Dominican Republic and the Holy See. She said the hope is that diplomacy “will not be about one-way giving, but about mutually-beneficial cooperation that we plan and build together with our allies for the good of both.”
The president also spoke about how her administration has faced roadblocks in international organizations due to pressure from China. She said her administration will remain steadfast and march on. Tsai said, “we still stand with all major democratic countries in our desire to contribute meaningfully to humanity.”
Meanwhile, Tsai also spoke about Taiwan’s efforts to work with other nations to organize events on a number of important issues. Those topics have included disease prevention and treatment, energy efficiency, women’s empowerment, and e-commerce training aimed at narrowing digital divides in the region. She said Taiwan has also discussed disaster prevention and rescue and maritime issues with other countries. Tsai said that Taiwanese are proud of their country’s concrete contributions to the international community.
As for other country’s support for Taiwan, Tsai said that her administration “has seen our relationships with the U.S., Japan, Europe and other democracies grow substantially, and these countries are supporting Taiwan’s international participation more strongly than in the past.” In her speech, she conveyed the gratitude of the Taiwanese people.
Tsai also spoke about her administration’s New Southbound Policy in which Taiwan seeks to “build stronger and mutually-beneficial partnerships with the nations of Southeast Asia and South Asia, Australia and New Zealand in the areas of economics and trade, science and technology, education, culture, tourism and more.”