The Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) gave John McCain prize to President Tsai Ing-wen

The Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) announced on May 3, 2021 that it will give this year’s John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service to President Tsai Ing-wen, citing her resistance to aggression from Beijing.   Despite pressure from the Canadian government, HFX decided to honor President Tsai.    “President Tsai is an inspiration and an example to freedom-loving people everywhere,” said forum chair Peter Van Praagh. “His courage and courage in standing up for his people against aggression by the Chinese Communist Party are precisely the qualities that the John McCain Prize was designed to recognize.”     The award is presented annually at the forum event in Halifax, but the 2020 conference has been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.   Van Praagh said the forum will present the award to Tsai in person at a ceremony to be scheduled “in due course”.   In addition, the forum hailed Tsai with the release of a video calling her “another champion of freedom.” The video features news clips that portray her as arguably the most powerful Chinese-speaking politician in the world.    “I want to assure people that we won’t escalate the confrontation and give up,” Tsai said in a speech from the video.    After receiving a formal announcement from HFX, President Tsai responded with the following messages.

“Thank you to the Halifax International Security Forum for the honour of being awarded the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service. However, this award does not belong to me alone, but to all the people of Taiwan.

The late John McCain was widely respected US senator. He spent his life fighting for freedom and democracy, and was committed to ensuring Taiwan’s security. Senator McCain was an old friend of mine and a true friend to Taiwan. This award, named in his memory, is a symbol of the high regard the international community has for Taiwan’s democracy.

A united Taiwan must remain dedicated to protecting our democracy and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, while working as a force for good to make the world a better place. We continue to show that freedom and democracy are the core values that define our country.”