Press Release

Legislative Yuan

December 6, 2022

President You Si-kun meets and hosts Waldemar Andzel, chair of the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Group and an eight-member delegation

You Si-kun: Taiwan and Poland share a similar democratization process and the universal values of democracy and liberty

Accompanied by Secretary General Lin Jih-jia, Consultant Chou Ya-shu, and Secretariat Director Kung Ping-chieh, President You received and held a banquet in honor of Polish Sejm delegation led by Waldemar Andzel, chair of the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Group today, December 6, at 11:30 a.m.. Legislators Chen I-hsin, Chiu Chen-yuan, and Chiu Hsien-chih; Cyryl Jacek Kozaczewski, Director of the Polish Office in Taipei; and Dr. Tsai Ming-yen, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the meeting and banquet.

In remarks at the event, President You began by extending a warm welcome to the delegation. He said that he had previously met Chairman Andzel in July when he was in transit in Poland and that although four months had passed, it seemed like yesterday. He thanked Chairman Andzel and the delegation for their long-standing support of Taiwan and for Poland’s donation the previous September of 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the largest such donation from Europe. He thanked Poland for its active support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization in recent years. After the outbreak of the war between Ukraine and Russia, the assistance of the distinguished guests in attendance allowed Taiwan’s donations to be delivered to Ukraine. On behalf of the Legislative Yuan, President You once again expressed sincere gratitude to the members of the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentary Group.

President You noted that Poland, at the heart of Europe, was the first country in Eastern Europe to abandon communism and that its efforts ushered in a series of democratization movements in Eastern European countries. In addition, on June 4, 1989, the same day as the Tiananmen Square incident, Poland ended its communist dictatorship with democratic elections and a peaceful transfer of power in a true democratic revolution. President You then said that Poland and Taiwan share many similarities in the process of democratization, and both have faced meddling by strong neighbors. Democratization, therefore, is a hard-won fruit that required sacrifice by many people. Taiwan has suffered colonization, massacres, and martial law over the past century, so the people of Taiwan cherish the democratic way of life they enjoy now and will certainly defend it.

He continued by sharing that the first democratically elected president of Poland, Lech Walesa, visited Taiwan in November 1996 and gave a speech in which he said that “modern people increasingly do not accept that force can solve everything,” that “good will prevail,” and that he “believes that the world is moving toward peace, growth, cooperation and unity.” Former President Walesa shared that the people’s desire for freedom and peace is not something that an authoritarian government can control. This is exemplified by “blank paper” protests in Beijing, Shanghai, and other major cities since November 26, expressing a desire for freedom and protesting the zero-Covid policy. It is outrageous that China is still using the same old tactics to cover up the truth on the Internet in an attempt to make a mockery of the truth and control the minds of the people. The dictatorial scheme laid out at this year’s 20th National Congress of the CCP, Xi Jinping’s reinstatement of leadership for life, and his declaration that he will not renounce the use of force against Taiwan, have made the world fear that authoritarian China could start a war at any time. But President You declared that in the face of China’s constant bullying, the Taiwanese people would not be afraid but would determinedly defend their country. Opinion polls show that 74 percent of Taiwanese are willing to stand up to defend Taiwan.

President You went on to thank the Polish Parliament for its support of Taiwan. He said that although Taiwan and Poland are far apart, democracy and freedom form a common language. Although the two countries are respectively in Europe and Asia, each is facing unprecedented challenges, and they need to cooperate more closely to jointly protect the universal values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, and defend global peace and stability. In conclusion, he wished all the guests a peaceful and prosperous life, and hoped that the friendship between the two countries would always be strong.

In response, Chairman Andzel greeted President You, members of the legislature, and all the distinguished guests. Chairman Andzel expressed his pleasure at visiting democratic, free Taiwan. He shared his admiration for Taiwan’s development of a democratic system and respect for human rights. He echoed President You in agreeing that there are many similarities between Taiwan and Poland, including the process of democratization and respect for human rights.

President Andzel pointed out that the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentary Group is the second-largest organization of its kind in the Polish Parliament, with 94 members, all of whom are very supportive of Taiwan and feel sorry for China’s suppression of Taiwan. He hoped that Poland and Taiwan would have more exchanges and cooperation in the economic, cultural, economic, and trade spheres, and that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry would set up factories in Poland. Chairman Andzel said that the European Union has invested US$1.5 billion in Taiwan, and that economic exchanges between Taiwan and Europe are strong. He further avowed that he and other Formosa Club members would do their best to help Taiwanese manufacturers make strides in Europe. Chairman Andzel went on to express gratitude for Taiwan’s assistance to Poland at the beginning of the pandemic, which led to their efforts to convince the government to donate 400,000 doses of vaccine to Taiwan in the preceding year. In addition, Chairman Andzel said that he was deeply moved by Taiwan’s assistance to Ukraine, as peace in Ukraine is crucial to peace around the world. He closed by saying that Poland would continue to support Taiwan’s efforts in support of democracy and human rights.

President You then presented the guests with a gift and took a group photo, after which all proceeded to the banquet hall for a luncheon. To start the event, President You once again extended a warm welcome to the guests and introduced the culture of Taiwan, which has been influenced by the Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, Qing, and Austronesian cultures. He said that Taiwan’s culinary culture is also very diverse and rich. The two sides then exchanged views on Ukrainian refugees, bilateral cooperation in the military related and semiconductor industries, regional security, and agricultural trade.

At the end of the luncheon, President You presented photos to the guests. The luncheon concluded at 2:00 p.m.