Good afternoon! I am honored to be here visiting the Republic of Lithuania as President of the Legislative Yuan and to exchange views with you. I want to thank the Taiwan Forum for the invitation. On behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s legislators, and the 23 million people of Taiwan, I want to express my utmost respect and gratitude to all of you present here and to the Republic of Lithuania.
On August 22, 1989, the Baltic Way was held. Two million people from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia joined hands in a symbol of solidarity. This won the respect of the world and had a major effect on international democratic development. On February 28, 2004, more than two million people joined hands across Taiwan in a bid to safeguard democracy and freedom. Our inspiration was your great country. Last July, immediately after Lithuania agreed to the establishment of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, your country was intimidated and put under pressure by China. China’s ambassador to Lithuania was recalled; China requested that you recall your own ambassador to China. Despite this, your nation demonstrated resolve in defending its sovereign independence. And, acting without regard for intimidation carried out in the name of “wolf-warrior diplomacy,” the Taiwanese Representative Office was established on November 18 last year. I want to express admiration for your courage. Lithuania is also supporting Ukraine, making itself a role model for democracy and freedom.
Freedom-loving people should support each other. I want to thank Lithuania for having donated 260,000 vaccine doses to Taiwan when the pandemic was at its height and supplies were short. Lithuania was the third nation in the world, and the first in Europe, to donate vaccines to Taiwan. Lithuania’s courage in the face of intimidation by a major power puts it on par with the US and Japan, which made similar donations to Taiwan. Your assistance will always be remembered by the people of Taiwan. We will do our best to repay this favor by working to boost economic cooperation.
Taiwan and Lithuania share the universal values of democracy, freedom, and human rights and remain on high alert to the aggressive intentions of neighboring authoritarian regimes. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fall of democratic regimes in Afghanistan and Myanmar, and the loss of freedom in Hong Kong shows that the global democratic landscape is shrinking. China continues to use its economic clout to intimidate others. We must continue to urge democracies around the world to better understand the essence of the Chinese regime.
In traditional Chinese thinking, there cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two emperors on earth. All land under heaven belongs to the King, and all the people on it are his subjects. Such thinking has dominated Chinese politics for more than 2,000 years. In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has sought to share control over the Pacific Ocean with the United States, adopted wolf-warrior diplomacy, established Confucius Institutes, has promoted the Belt and Road Initiative, militarized the South China Sea, and claimed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. It also claims sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait. All of these actions are products of this thinking.
I want to underscore this final point. China continually says that Taiwan is an inalienable part its territory. Yet in accordance with the spirit of self-determination of peoples in the United Nations Charter, the people of Taiwan elect their own legislature and president. Taiwan has experienced three changes of ruling party in power and is an independent sovereign country. Taiwan and Penghu do not, therefore, belong to China. Taiwan has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China. The Republic of China (Taiwan) and People’s Republic of China are not subject to each other and Taiwan is by no means a part of China. Taiwan and China are one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait. This is an indisputable fact.
Unlike China, Taiwan and Lithuania pursue freedom and democracy. This February, Taiwan was ranked eighth in the world and first in Asia of 167 countries and territories surveyed in the Democracy Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Also in February, human rights organization Freedom House honored Taiwan with a score of 94 for its democracy, ranking it the 17th-freest country in the world, tying with Iceland and second only to Japan in Asia. As a member of the democratic camp, Taiwan is on the front lines in the fight against authoritarian regimes. It will continue to safeguard the universal values of democracy, freedom, and human rights and oppose acts of aggression that endanger regional security. It is clear that ensuring Taiwan’s security means ensuring the global public interest.
During a visit by Taiwan officials to Lithuania last October, six MOUs were signed covering semiconductors, biotechnology, lasers, satellites, and finance, marking the beginning of major cooperation between our countries. We in the legislature will continue to help the executive branch while also conducting due oversight.
Some 33 years ago, the people of Lithuania showed their thirst for democracy and freedom with the Baltic Way. One person may take a few hundred steps, but acting together, millions taking one step each push the darkness back farther. As Lithuania fights a combined Russian and Chinese threat, its courageous stance is a role model for global democracies. On behalf of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, I want to once again thank the Taiwan Forum, the Parliament of Lithuania, and all Lithuanians for your support and friendship. I wish all of you good health and happiness and our countries continued prosperity and everlasting friendship. Thank you!