Legislative Yuan Press Release

June 23, 2022

Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun receives Dr. Robert Kennedy Lewis, Ambassador of Saint Lucia to the Republic of China (Taiwan)

President You: Grateful to Saint Lucia for being undaunted by China’s repression and for supporting Taiwan

Accompanied by Secretary General Lin Jih-jia, Consultant Chou Ya-shu, and Secretariat Director Kung Ping-chieh, President You received Saint Lucian Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan) Dr. Robert Kennedy Lewis at 2:30 p.m. today. In remarks at the event, President You expressed his respects to the Ambassador for contributing to bilateral relations. President You stated that Ambassador Lewis had served as St. Lucian Minister of Education and had been to Taiwan three times. He is an expert in education and has a strong bond with Taiwan. St. Lucia is to be envied, the President said, for being the home of two Nobel Laureates despite having a small population. Taiwan’s education can emulate from Saint Lucia. President You then mentioned that he had been touched by St. Lucian Prime Minister Phillip Pierre’s speaking in favor of Taiwan at the United Nations General Assembly, and that he was convinced that bilateral relations are solid.  

President You then responded to the statement Ambassador Lewis had made praising Taiwan’s remarkable achievements in semiconductors and science and technology. Taiwan, he said, is proud of its achievements. However, facing a strong power such as China, Taiwan still needs to continue to make progress in many areas, especially national defense. He continued by stating that China is the world’s second-largest economy. However, due to its political system, it does not abide by the universal values of freedom and democracy. It represses its own citizens at home and continues expansionist policies abroad. Countries around the world are fearful of China. Taiwan has been badly bullied by China in the international arena and has been cautious in its response.  

President You further elaborated on China’s wolf-warrior diplomacy, which stems from its imperial mindset that, “All land under heaven belongs to the King, and all people on the shores are subjects of the King.” and “Even though a thousand miles away, those who affront China must pay.” a traditional way of thinking that has been held for thousands of years. This is shown through a statement once made by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to US President Barack Obama that China and US should take care of the Pacific region together. High-ranking Chinese officials once requested that the US Indo-Pacific Command permit China to take charge of the region west of Hawaii. In addition, China ignored a ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of Sea and continued to construct islands in the South China Sea to expand its sovereignty. Recently, it even claimed that the Taiwan Strait is not international waters but rather internal Chinese waters. If Taiwan were to be taken, the Republic of Korea and Japan would be in danger. In recent years, China has overreached in the Caribbean region and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. At this critical juncture, the world needs to work together to prevent China from expanding and threatening peace. He closed by hoping that Saint Lucia would continue to stand with Taiwan.

President You once again thanked Saint Lucia for its long-term support of Taiwan and hoped that the Ambassador enjoyed the tour of the Legislative Yuan provided by the Secretariat.