Press Release

Legislative Yuan

February 7, 2023

Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun meets a five-member delegation from the Switzerland-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group of the Swiss Federal Assembly

You Si-kun: Taiwan and Switzerland are democratic allies and hope to continue to deepen friendship and defend democracy, human rights, and freedom

Accompanied by Legislators Fan Yun and Hsu Chang Yu-mei; Taiwan People’s Party Whip Chiu Chen-yuan; New Power Party Whip Chiu Hsien-chih; Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Consultant Chou Ya-shou; Secretariat Director Kung Ping-chieh; and Ambassador Daniel Diann-wen Tang from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun met today with a delegation from the Switzerland-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group of the Swiss Federal Assembly.

President You began by stating that it was a great honor for him to have the opportunity to meet the group of esteemed guests. He said this was special because it marked the first parliamentary delegation to be received at the Legislative Yuan after the Lunar New Year, and the first delegation of Swiss federal parliamentarians President You has received in the three years since he took office. He then extended the delegation a sincere welcome on behalf of the Legislative Yuan.

Switzerland is a staunch democratic ally of Taiwan, President You continued, and has been an important economic and trade partner of Taiwan in Europe for many years. He thanked the friendship group for its unwavering support and said he was touched by the delegates’ determination to visit Taiwan despite having been warning off by the Chinese Embassy before the trip. Chairman Fabian Molina is committed to institutionalizing exchanges between the parliaments of Taiwan and Switzerland, and has introduced a motion in the National Council to strengthen cooperation between the Swiss Parliament and the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan. This is the first time such a motion has been proposed in a nation Taiwan does not enjoy diplomatic relations with. If passed, bilateral parliamentary cooperation will move to a new milestone. The motion to improve relations with Taiwan, led by Chairman Nicolas Walder, and the many verbal and written questions on Taiwan-related issues raised by members of parliament, have strengthened relations with Taiwan in various areas. On behalf of the Legislative Yuan, President You expressed his deepest gratitude to the delegation.

President You shared that Taiwan and Switzerland both difficult challenges to freedom and democracy. In the 13th century, the Swiss Confederation was not yet free from the Habsburgs, yet William Thayer led the oppressed people to revolt and finally declare independence. Switzerland continued to be under the control of foreign powers until the Treaty of Paris was adopted by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which established Switzerland’s neutrality, some 500 years after the Swiss Confederation first declared independence. In Taiwan, the pursuit of freedom and democracy also followed a thorny path over the past century. Before World War II, the people of Taiwan fought against colonialism and oppression and pursued democracy and self-government. Afterward, they endured the world’s longest period of martial law and decades of White Terror, during which nearly 200,000 people were persecuted. A democratic parliament was born in 1993 after the ban on political parties was broken in 1986 and martial law lifted in 1987. On February 2 of this year, the Economist Intelligence Unit released its Global Democracy Index 2022 report, in which Switzerland was ranked 7th in the world and Taiwan was ranked 10th in the world and 1st in Asia. We value this achievement and will do our best to safeguard it.

President You then said that the previous July he had led a delegation to Europe and had had the privilege of meeting many presidents and members of parliaments from France, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. Last week, he was invited to the United States to speak at the International Religious Freedom Summit and participate in the National Prayer Breakfast. He felt he was among friends of democracy, and was grateful for the concern and support of Europe and the United States for Taiwan. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the international community has become more aware of the importance of united democratic alliances to defend the democratic system.

President You mentioned that China still claims sovereignty over Taiwan, deliberately misquoting the Cairo Declaration and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758. He countered that the Cairo Declaration was merely a letter of intent between the United States and China during WWII. The San Francisco Peace Treaty signed by 49 countries and entering into force on April 28, 1952, was only international legal framework to determine Taiwan’s status. According to Article 2 of the treaty, Japan renounced all right, title, and claim to Taiwan and Penghu, but it made no mention of Taiwan’s sovereignty. Subsequently, Taiwan became a sovereign, independent country in line with the principles of national sovereignty and self-determination as laid out in the United Nations Charter following comprehensive parliamentary elections, direct presidential elections, and three alternations of political party in power. According to international law, Taiwan and Penghu do not belong to China; Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other and Taiwan is not a part of China. As for Resolution General Assembly 2758 passed in 1972, it only dealt with China’s representation in the United Nations and did not mention Taiwan. Today, the Chinese Communist Party is ignoring the facts, and its military planes and ships are circumnavigating Taiwan daily in an attempt to destabilize the Indo-Pacific region and annex Taiwan. At a time when the global democratic landscape is shrinking, President You shared, Taiwan is a beacon of democracy for Asia and the Chinese-speaking world. It is also a bulwark of democracy and a beacon to China. President You then affirmed the importance of greater international cooperation on and attention to these issues.

President You also expressed his concern and comfort to MP Mustafa Atici, who hailed from Turkey, which had the preceding day suffered a major earthquake, for MP’s relatives were in the affected area. On behalf of Taiwan’s legislature, he offered words of comfort to the afflicted and hope that all would be rescued.

In closing, President You once again thanked the group for its support. He stated that democracy and freedom are the common language of Switzerland and Taiwan and that the two must work to safeguard the universal values of freedom, democracy, and human rights to ensure global peace and development. He wished the delegation a pleasant trip and Taiwan and Switzerland everlasting friendship.

In remarks that followed, Chairman Molina stated that the group’s visit was meant as a message that democracy must prevail. He said that only democracy can protect freedom, human rights, and pluralism. Taiwan is well-positioned to understand his, having been under authoritarian rule and experienced a struggle for democracy. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the world realized that peace and democracy are fragile and that Europeans have a mission to maintain democracy. Switzerland and Taiwan have a lot in common, not only the beauty of their mountains and rich traditional culture, as well as respect for democracy and freedom. He was proud to share that the group is one of the largest of its kind in the Swiss Parliament. In 2021, the National Council had urged the government to review relations with Taiwan and find ways to deepen cooperation in the areas of politics, economics, culture, and science. He himself had proposed institutionalizing parliamentary exchanges with Taiwan, and felt confident that this visit would not be the last.

President Walder then took the floor to express thanks to President You for his hospitality. The visit, he said, underscores the bilateral friendship between Switzerland and Taiwan. He reiterated Switzerland’s full support for Taiwan and his belief that the people of Taiwan are brave as they have been pursuing democracy and human rights. He said that the Swiss group is quite active, with more than 20 percent of parliament’s members participating. He hoped to continue to strengthen friendship and cooperation with Taiwan, adding that Taiwan is one of Switzerland’s key trade partners in Asia, and that there is much room for further cooperation based on a mutual respect for entrepreneurship and the universal values of democracy and freedom. In addition to strengthening bilateral relations, the main goal of his visit was to propose that the Swiss government further exchanges with Taiwan on various fronts and consider formal economic and trade agreements. He explained that democracy is not only a moral issue but also a matter of national survival. Both Russia and China are threatening our way of life, he said, and democratic countries have a responsibility to strengthen strategic cooperation and continue to advocate the universal values of democracy and peace through dialogue. Chairman Walder then extended an invitation to President You to visit Switzerland.

The two sides then exchanged gifts. After the meeting, President You hosted a banquet featuring Taiwanese cuisine for the delegation, at which the two sides engaged in in-depth conversation. The luncheon ended at 2 p.m amid a cordial atmosphere.

A translation of President You’s remarks is as follows:

Honorable Chairman Molina; Honorable Chairman Walder; Honorable MP Nidegger; Honorable MP Atici; Honorable MP Porchet; Ambassador Tang; Legislators Fan Yun and Hsu Chang Yu-mei; Taiwan People’s Party Whip Chiu Chen-yuan; New Power Party Whip Chiu Hsien-chih; Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Consultant Chou Ya-shou; Secretariat Director Kung Ping-chieh; Ambassador Daniel Diann-wen Tang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; esteemed guests:

Good afternoon!

It is a great honor to have the opportunity to meet with all of you who have come all the way here! There are two firsts today. You are the first parliamentary delegation received by the Legislative Yuan after the Lunar New Year, and the first delegation of Swiss federal parliamentarians I have received in the three years since I took office as the President of the Legislative Yuan. Therefore, I am very pleased and would like to extend a sincere welcome to you on behalf of the Taiwan Parliament.

Switzerland is a staunch democratic ally of Taiwan and has been an important economic and trade partner of Taiwan in Europe for many years. I would like to begin by thanking the Switzerland-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group of the Swiss Federal Assembly for its unwavering support. I am touched by your determination to visit Taiwan despite having received a stern warning from the Chinese Embassy before your trip. Chairman Molina has been committed to institutionalizing exchanges between the Swiss and Taiwanese parliaments and has led a motion in National Council to further cooperation between it and the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan. This is the first such proposal to be made at this level in a nation with which Taiwan does not enjoy diplomatic ties. If passed, bilateral parliamentary cooperation will meet a new milestone. The motion to improve relations with Taiwan, led by Chairman Walder, and the many verbal and written questions on Taiwan-related issues raised by members of parliament here, have deepened relations with Taiwan. On behalf of the Legislative Yuan, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of you.

Our countries have both experienced difficulties on the road to freedom and democracy. In the 13th century, the Swiss Confederation was not yet free from the Habsburgs until national hero William Thayer led the oppressed people to revolt and finally declare independence. However, Switzerland continued to be under the control of various powers until the Treaty of Paris was adopted at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which established Switzerland’s neutrality. This was fully 500 years after the Swiss Confederation first declared independence. In Taiwan, the path to freedom and democracy has also been difficult over the past century. Before World War II, the people of Taiwan fought against colonialism and oppression and pursued democracy and self-government. After the war, they endured the world’s longest period of martial law and decades of White Terror, during which nearly 200,000 people were persecuted. A democratic parliament was born in 1993 after the ban on forming new political parties was finally broken in 1986 and martial law lifted in 1987. On February 2, the Economist Intelligence Unit released its Global Democracy Index 2022 report, in which Switzerland was ranked 7th in the world and Taiwan was 10th globally and 1st in Asia. Although Taiwan’s ranking is behind that of Switzerland, it has still been internationally recognized. We value this achievement and will do our best to safeguard it.

Last July, I led a delegation to Europe and had the privilege of meeting many presidents and members of parliament from France, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. Last week, I was invited to the United States to speak at the International Religious Freedom Summit and participate in the National Prayer Breakfast. I shared my belief in democracy with many new friends and personally felt the concern and support Europe and the United States have for Taiwan. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the international community has become more aware of the importance of a united democratic front to defend the democratic system. 

China still claims sovereignty over Taiwan and deliberately misquotes the Cairo Declaration and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 to this end. The Cairo Declaration was merely a letter of intent between the United States and China during WWII. The San Francisco Peace Treaty signed by 49 countries and entering into force on April 28, 1952, is the international legal framework by which to determine Taiwan’s status. According to Article 2 of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan renounced all right, title, and claim to Taiwan and Penghu, but it made no mention of Taiwan’s sovereignty. Subsequently, Taiwan has become a sovereign, independent country following comprehensive parliamentary elections, direct presidential elections, and three alternations of political party in power, in accordance with the principle of national sovereignty and self-determination as laid out in the United Nations Charter. According to international law, Taiwan and Penghu do not belong to China, Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other, and Taiwan is not a part of China. As for United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, it only dealt with China’s representation in the United Nations and did not mention Taiwan. Today, the Chinese Communist Party is ignoring the facts and sending military planes and ships to circumnavigate Taiwan daily in an attempt to destabilize the Indo-Pacific region and annex Taiwan. Friends, at a time when the global democratic landscape is shrinking, Taiwan is a bulwark of democracy and a beacon to China. We look forward to more international cooperation and attention.

In closing, I want to once again thank the Swiss friendship group for your support. Democracy and freedom are a common language of our countries, and together we must safeguard the universal values of freedom, democracy, and human rights to ensure global peace and development. I wish you a pleasant trip, and Taiwan and Switzerland everlasting friendship. Thank you.