The United States: A Pillar of Civilization and Justice

You Si-kun

President of the Legislative Yuan

Republic of China (Taiwan)

May 17, 2023 at the Hudson Institute

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: good afternoon!

Introduction

The Hudson Institute is dedicated to promoting a secure, free, and prosperous world and works toward this end by providing unparalleled research and analysis. It has been the cradle of countless wise, forward-looking policy recommendations. For these efforts, I express my admiration. It is a great honor for me to stand before you, President of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, to share some thoughts, even as Taiwan has recently been called by the Economist “the most dangerous place on earth.”

Party leaders

I will first introduce these stellar members of Taiwan’s legislature. First is Democratic Progressive Party member Chen Tin-fei, who is a seasoned legislator. Next, Taiwan People’s Party Whip Chiu Chen-yuan, who is also a leader in of the World Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce. And then there is New Power Party Whip Chiu Hsien-chih, who is a human rights lawyer and studied in Germany. The three major political parties they represent, together, claim more than half of public support in Taiwan.

Thanking the US for military financing of US$10 billion

Today, political parties in Taiwan are conducting primaries for our upcoming presidential and legislative relations. So how is it that we have come to the United States together now? Well, we believe that only by standing here can we properly reflect to you the respect and gratitude the people of Taiwan have for the United States. We thank the United States for passing the National Defense Authorization Act 2023, which authorizes grant assistance to Taiwan of up to US$10 billion over five years and loans of up to US$2 billion during fiscal years 2023 through 2027. I also want to thank US President Joe Biden for having used Presidential Drawdown Authority to provide US$500 million worth of military aid to Taiwan.

The pivotal US role in Taiwan’s democratization

I am a pro-democracy veteran. I was born in 1948, the year before the 228 Incident, in which Chiang Kai-shek had troops massacre people in Taiwan. I endured 38 years of martial law under the Chiang regime and took a great risk in starting a political career in the time of White Terror. I have been a politician for more than 40 years. I understand that Taiwan’s remarkable democratic achievements are thanks to the efforts of the 23 million people of Taiwan. But I also know that US assistance played an essential role.

On September 28, 1986, a group of people who decided they were no longer afraid of the heavy hand of martial law founded my party, the Democratic Progressive Party, at the Grand Hotel in Taipei. The US paid a great deal of attention to this event, thanks to which political persecution did not follow. Rather, this event birthed Taiwan’s first democratic opposition party and was followed by the end of martial law. I was an organizer involved in the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party, and I presided over the meeting at which the party was found. In such capacities, I stand before you a grateful man. Without American help at that time, Taiwan would not be the full-fledged democracy of today.

Thanking the US for defending peace across the Taiwan Strat

Relations between the US and Taiwan have sometimes been hot again, cold again over the past half-century, but the US has never been absent. For decades, the US has helped to safeguard peace across the Taiwan Strait. It has also supported close bilateral economic, technological, and cultural exchanges. In recent years, the US has worked with many democratic allies to maintain a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region. As part of this, it has strengthened security cooperation with Japan and the Republic of Korea and has firmly opposed unilateral changes to the peaceful status quo across the Taiwan Strait. In confronting intimidation by the Chinese Communist Party, democratic Taiwan has been fortunate to have a solid friend in the United States. As President of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan and on behalf of both the legislature and our people, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to our distinguished guests and to your wonderful country.

The withering global democratic landscape

We celebrate Taiwan’s democracy, which has been acclaimed as a role model. And yet, in the past decade, the global democratic landscape has withered. We have witnessed protests over Hong Kong’s anti-extradition bill, crackdowns on democracy in Afghanistan and Myanmar, and Russian aggression against Ukraine. These are indeed frustrating times. According to Freedom in the World 2022 released by Freedom House, 60 countries have backslidden on democracy. There is an assault on the global democratic community, and it is connected to the difficulty democracy has had in taking root in the Chinese world. This has come to pass because the international democratic community has focused solely on economic gain. It has forgotten to act as the prophet Micah chastened, “to do justly and to love mercy.” It has not shown concern for those suffering under the CCP and authoritarian regimes worldwide.

The CCP seeks global hegemony

Today, I stand here to remind the world: Taiwan is not the CCP’s ultimate goal or final destination. The CCP wants to see the East rise and the West decline. It wants to be hegemon over Europe, the Americas, and the entire world. Taiwan is but a steppingstone. After Xi Jinping took office, he discarded Deng Xiaoping’s notion of hiding capabilities and biding time, and Hu Jintao’s ideal of China’s peaceful rise. Xi proclaimed the Chinese Dream and stated, “The broad Pacific Ocean is vast enough to embrace both China and the United States.” He has promoted the Belt and Road Initiative, violated a promise to President Obama to not militarize islands in the South China Sea, began practicing wolf-warrior diplomacy, and upended Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” status quo. When Xi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 23, the two men reached a consensus to promote changes the likes of which have not been seen in a century. His intention to upend the international order could not be clearer.

Security across the Taiwan Strait is in the global interest

But why is it the CCP that poses a global threat? Why not India? Both countries have a population of over 1 billion, but they are as different as night and day. Although India has disputes with its neighbors, it is never regarded as a threat to world peace. The root cause is the nature of the CCP regime, which is both communist and authoritarian. It believes in traditional Confucian ideas such as, “There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two kings on earth,” and, “All land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people are subject to him.” The whole world, therefore, is subject to one ruler. Accordingly, we can say that protecting Taiwan equates to defending both Europe and the US. To ensure Taiwan’s security is to ensure the global public interest. If we do not take China’s threats seriously, a dark future awaits all of mankind.

Thanking President Biden for his commitment to protect Taiwan

At this critical juncture, I beseech our American friends to continue to do justly and to love mercy. Safeguard civilization and universal values by paying attention to the plight of the 1.4 billion people of China. Who will stand for civilization if not the United States? Who will fight for justice, if not the United States? The US is the strongest, the freest, the wealthiest country in history. The United States has always stood for democracy, for fairness, and for justice. We are grateful to President Biden for saying that US forces would defend Taiwan if in fact there was an unprecedented attack. I ask you to continue to stand firm with us, with Taiwan, on the front line against the authoritarian CCP regime.

Thanking Asian leaders for opposing forceful change to the status quo

Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol both stated that the Taiwan issue is a global issue. They vowed to continue to strengthen the security partnership linking their nations with the US and declared opposition to a change in the cross-strait status quo by force. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said that granting US access to Philippine military bases was a defensive measure that would be useful if China were to attack Taiwan. The crescent of defense formed by Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines will, with American support, be a key stabilizer of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Looking for US assistance on Taiwan’s international participation

Today, I want to thank you, but I also want to ask for your continued support of Taiwan, which stands on the front lines facing an authoritarian power. I hope the US will back Taiwan’s joining the United Nations, World Health Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, and International Monetary Fund, which it can do under the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act of 2020. I also hope that the unfair double taxation of our businesses will end with the passage of the Taiwan Tax Agreement Act of 2023. Taiwan is eager to sign with the US a bilateral trade agreement. This would further economic cooperation and enhance our ability to resist an authoritarian regime and, together, maintain international peace and stability. As your President Kennedy said, “United, there is little we cannot do…divided, there is little we can do.”