President Tsai Ing-wen gave an address in the “Struggle for Freedom” forum in Dallas

On November 9, President Tsai Ing-wen gave a talk in the “Struggle for Freedom” forum, hosted by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.  During the 10 minutes speech, Tsai said “For Taiwan, democracy is more than a fundamental value that unites our people; it is also a critical asset in addressing major challenges. Taiwan is now in the position to share its experience with the world and create alliances, allowing democracies to more effectively deal with crises and counter the threats of authoritarianism.”   “As we observed Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine from the other side of the world, Taiwan has been honored to play a role in assisting Ukraine in its struggle to defend its sovereignty and freedom,” she said. “Together with like-minded partners, we will also make efforts to support Ukraine’s reconstruction of its schools, hospitals and infrastructure that have been destroyed by the war.”

Tsai added that Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine “is proof that dictatorships will do whatever it takes to achieve their goal of expansionism.   That the danger of authoritarian regimes corroding democratic institutions, and tarnishing human rights and civic space cannot be ignored.”  Tsai also mentioned about Taiwan’s experience. She said “Taiwanese have experienced their own struggle for freedom, from being ruled by an authoritarian regime during the Martial Law era to facing rising military threats from China.”    Tsai continued “From daily military intimidations, gray zone activities and influence operations to cyberattacks and periodic attempts at economic coercion, China has taken a range of actions with the goal of creating doubt and undermining confidence in what the Taiwanese people have worked so diligently for — our democratic way of life.   At the heart of this struggle was the embrace of democracy ... and once the Taiwanese people took this path, there was no turning back.”