Taiwan on the front line to defend democracy (Tsai)

Taiwan is at the forefront of defending democracy against attacks by authoritarian countries, former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at a conference in Prague.

Czech President Petr Pavel welcomed Tsai upon her arrival at the conference.

The Czech Republic, like most countries, does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the two sides have grown closer as Beijing increases military threats across the Taiwan Strait and Taipei seeks new friends in Central and Eastern Europe.

Photo: Reuters

The Chinese military launched a new round of war games near Taiwan yesterday.

Tsai said authoritarian regimes wanted to export their form of government to the rest of the world, using methods ranging from information warfare to threats and invasion, and were trying to cripple democratic societies in more ways. more aggressive.

“Amidst all of this, Taiwan finds itself at the forefront of the assault,” Tsai said. “The most recent action taken was China’s announcement earlier today of a military exercise.”

“For more than half a century, Taiwan has faced constant intimidation from the Chinese communist regime, which has attempted by every means possible to annex Taiwan, and these threats have only intensified over time. as Taiwan has become an integral part of the international community,” she said.

Pavel and Tsai shook hands and spoke briefly at the opening of the Forum 2000 conference.

However, Pavel has no plans to meet with Tsai, his office said.

Tsai was scheduled to meet with the speakers of both houses of the Czech parliament later yesterday.

The Chinese embassy in Prague did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tsai’s visit. Chinese media quoted a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying that Beijing strongly opposed the visit.

The annual Forum 2000 conferences, initiated by former Czech President Vaclav Havel, bring together leaders and thinkers from around the world to discuss democracy, human rights and civil society.

Pavel had a telephone interview with Tsai while she was still in office and he was president-elect in January last year.

At the conference yesterday, Pavel called on China to use its influence to help end the war in Ukraine. He also urged Beijing to respect human rights and exercise restraint across the Taiwan Strait, without making a direct reference to the war games China is currently waging around Taiwan.