Press Release

Legislative Yuan

April 14, 2022

President You Si-kun welcomes a delegation from the Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association

President You: We appreciate the delegation’s braving the COVID-19 pandemic to visit Taiwan and demonstrate solid friendship among democratic allies

On the morning of April 14, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun, accompanied by Legislator Tsai Shih-ying, Chairman of the Taiwan-European  Interparliamentary  Amity Association; Kuomintang Legislator Wu I-ding; Taiwan People’s Party Legislator and Party Caucus Whip Chiu Chen-yuan; New Power Party Legislator and Party Caucus Director General Wang Wan-yu; Legislative Yuan Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Consultant Chou Ya-shu; Secretariat Director Kung Ping-chieh; Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Ho-jen Tseng; and Swedish Representative Bengt Carlsson met a delegation from the Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association and the European Parliament.

In his welcoming remarks, President You expressed his gratitude to the delegation for having braved the COVID-19 pandemic to visit Taiwan from afar. He praised Sweden as a global democratic role model that offered political asylum to Taiwan’s democracy pioneer Peng Ming-min. Peng, he mentioned, had passed away six days previously. He further stated that the first impression Taiwanese have of Sweden is that it is the birthplace of the Nobel Prize. Taiwanese people also admire Sweden’s democratic system and social welfare policies. Taiwan has learned a lot from Sweden’s democratic achievements. He then thanked Boriana Åberg, Chairperson of the Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentarian Association, for supporting Taiwan through concrete actions since she took up the position. She supported Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization and also brought together 34 Swedish parliamentarians to sign a joint letter to the Secretary General of the UN requesting Taiwan’s participation.

President You then thanked MEP Charlie Weimers for being the rapporteur of the EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation report. This was the first official EU document ever to address Taiwan-EU political relations. MEP Weimers fearlessly drafted and reported this very important pro-Taiwan document, and helped advance other motions that urged the European Parliament to protect peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.

President You then spoke about the Ukraine-Russian war, which had raged for the past 50 days. He said that in mentioning Ukraine, he couldn’t help but think of the joint statement released by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on February 4, which in part claimed that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.” This, he said, shows that China has never given up its idea of taking Taiwan by force. In fact, it is clear that Taiwan and China are two separate countries. Taiwan has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China, and neither is subordinate to the other. The truth that Taiwan is not a part of China can be seen in the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which was signed by 49 countries on April 28, 1952.

President You further pointed out that Taiwan will stand together with democratic partners to safeguard the universal values of democracy, peace, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. He urged the international community to take note of the Chinese Communist Party regime’s severe human rights oppression in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. Its implementation of “wolf-warrior diplomacy” and its aggressiveness in the South China Sea have caused great tension in the Indo-Pacific region and constitute a threat to world peace. This should not be neglected.

President You concluded by mentioning that the Swedish parliament has made extraordinary achievements in gender equality. In Taiwan, women account for 43 percent of this term’s seats in the Legislative Yuan, a figure that is highest in Asia. In 2016, Taiwan elected its first female president. Taiwan will continue to promote gender mainstreaming in its parliament. He concluded by expressing hopes of further deepening bilateral relations and promoting democracy. 

Chairperson Åberg then spoke, expressing gratitude to President You for his warm hospitality. She said their visit was proving fruitful. The delegation had learned about Taiwan’s national defense forces as well as its fight against disinformation. The Swedish people, she stressed, were following this trip closely, as it was seen as an expression of Swedish support for democracy. However, not everyone supported the trip, and some delegation members had received letters of protest from the Chinese embassy, which claimed that the visit violated the “one China principle” and sent a message supporting Taiwan independence. Chairperson Åberg pointed out that if China got upset, this just showed that the right thing had been done. She went on to say that the international community was concerned about Taiwan’s situation and would work together to ensure its sovereignty and independence The Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentary Association would continue to make efforts to assist Taiwan’s efforts to join international organizations such as the United Nations and World Health Organization.

In his remarks, MEP Weimers stated that he had long wished to visit Taiwan. Russian aggression against Ukraine is, he said, greatly alarming. Sweden has applied to join the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization to strengthen its national defense capability. Europeans will work together to defend European territory as well as stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region. He was impressed by Taiwan’s protection of freedom of speech and its fight against disinformation, stating that Europe can learn from Taiwan. He hoped the visit would allow the international community to get to know Taiwan and to support democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. As a member of the Subcommittee of Security and Defense in the European Parliament, he closed by pledging to continue to promote related policies to support Taiwan.

In her remarks, Deputy Speaker Kerstin Lundgren stated that the ongoing third wave expansion of authoritarianism is threatening democracy. Democratic countries need to be united to reverse the wave of authoritarianism. Sweden has eight political parties; today, she said, four were being represented in Taiwan. The Swedish Parliament supports freedom and democracy. Recently, Sweden celebrated its centennial anniversary of democratization. Swedes know that democracy cannot be taken for granted, but is a treasure hard-won by every generation. The Ukraine-Russian war has been a reminder to the world that democratic countries should work together to fight authoritarianism. She was delighted to see so many political parties here to absorb different ideas, concluding by expressing hope that democratic countries would work together to fight dictatorship and authoritarianism.

After an exchange of gifts and group photos, a luncheon was served. Before dining, President You shared that the Kavalan Distillery and National Center for Traditional Arts Park were both constructed during his tenure as Yilan County Magistrate. He thus shares the pride in their success today. Both Taiwan and Sweden enjoy rich agricultural, fishery, and husbandry resources. Influenced by colonial culture, Taiwan’s cuisine is diversified. For example, IKEA’s meatballs are very popular in Taiwan. Taiwanese delicacies had, he said, been prepared in honor of the delegation members to give them a fuller understanding of Taiwan. The luncheon proceeded in a joyful atmosphere, with participants discussing children’s rights, human rights protection, industrial cooperation, the Ukraine-Russian war, Indo-Pacific security, and protection of the democratic system.

President You’s full welcome remarks are as follows:

Chairperson Boriana Åberg, MEP Charlie Weimers, Deputy Speaker Kirsten Lundgren, MP Markus Söder, MP Lars Adaktusson, MP Markus Wiechel, MP Ann-Sofie Alm, MP Lars Püss, MP Alexander Christiansson, Senior Policy Advisor Elise Coolegem, Representative Bengt Carlsson, Honorable Legislators, Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Ho-jen Tseng:

Good afternoon!

It is a great honor to receive our guests from Sweden, which is halfway around the globe in northern Europe. Thank you for braving the COVID-19 pandemic to visit Taiwan. I extend to you a warm welcome on behalf of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan.

When thinking of Sweden, many Taiwanese first think of the country where the Nobel Prize originated. Others think of the noble nation that provided political asylum in the 1970s to Mr. Peng Ming-min. Mr. Peng sadly passed away six days ago. He was a Taiwanese democratic pioneer who ran for president in 1996. Most Taiwanese also admire Sweden’s democracy and social welfare policies. According to the Democracy Index compiled by the Economist’s Intelligence Unit every year, Sweden has ranked in the top five for many consecutive years. In the latest 2021 index, Sweden ranked fourth, while Taiwan ranked eighth. We have a lot to learn from your country.

Here, on behalf of our legislature, I would like to thank Chairperson Åberg of the Swedish Taiwanese Parliamentarian Association for supporting Taiwan through concrete action since taking up your position. You not only supported Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, but also brought together 34 Swedish parliamentarians to sign a joint letter to the Secretary General of the UN calling for Taiwan’s participation. I would also like to thank MEP Weimers for being the rapporteur of the EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation report, which was passed by an overwhelming majority last October. It was the first EU document to address Taiwan-EU political relations. You fearlessly drafted and reported this very important pro-Taiwan document, and helped advance other motions that urged China to stop threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region. Thank you all for your support for Taiwan.

In the past 50 days, following the situation in Ukraine and expressing support for Ukrainians has become part of daily life for believers in freedom and democracy around the world. Taiwan is no exception. When mentioning Ukraine, I can’t help but think of the joint statement released by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on February 4, which was 20 days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The statement reiterated the lie that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China,” which shows that China has never given up on taking Taiwan by force. In fact, it is clear as day that Taiwan and China are two separate countries. Taiwan has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China, and neither is subordinate to the other. The fact that Taiwan is not a part of China can be shown through the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed by 49 countries on April 28, 1952.

This year has been one of global instability. The February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine is the biggest regional security crisis faced by Europe since World War II. Taiwan, which is on the front lines of China’s aggression in Asia, was just as indignant at this as other democracies around the world. Apart from sending medical supplies and donated funds to Ukraine, we have also been vigilant, knowing that freedom and democracy must not be taken for granted but should instead be safeguarded with determination and courage. For many years, Taiwanese have protected their homeland. We will continue to work with like-minded democratic nations to defend universal values like freedom and democracy and safeguard peace, stability, and development in the region.

In light of the Russia-Ukraine war, I urge the international community to take note of the Chinese Communist Party’s true nature, which is to suppress people internally and expand outwardly. Since introducing a market economy, the CCP has followed its traditional way of political thinking, which can be summed up as, “Just as there are not two suns in the sky, there cannot be two kings on the land,” and that “All land under heaven belongs to the King, and all people on its shores are the King’s subjects.” In China, people do not enjoy freedom of speech, association, or religion. Internally, China has severely oppressed human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. Externally, China has been promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, establishing Confucius Institutes, and implementing “wolf-warrior diplomacy.” It has also been building artificial islands in the South China Sea and attempting to interfere with international freedom of navigation. China’s imperial concept that “Anyone who dares to offend China will be eventually punished, no matter how far away they are,” combined with the “Chinese dream” of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, have caused great tension in the Indo-Pacific region and threaten world peace. This should not be ignored.