President Tsai addresses 2021 Open Parliament Forum
On the morning of December 2, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered remarks at the opening of the 2021 Open Parliament Forum, stating that Taiwan's government, parliament, and civil society organizations are working together toward our goal of open government and open parliament. President Tsai also said that Taiwan is willing to share its experience with the world and work with all our like-minded partners to defend our shared values of freedom and democracy, and expressed hope that a stronger democratic alliance can be forged to bolster collective democratic resilience.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
First of all, let me extend a warm welcome to our friends from around the world joining us at the 2021 Open Parliament Forum. I would also like to thank all those who have traveled to Taiwan to be here today, as well as those who are participating online despite time differences. All of the countries represented at this forum are important members of the international community of democracies. Faced with an ever-changing global landscape and the continued expansion of authoritarianism, I believe that our goal should be to forge a stronger democratic alliance and to bolster our collective democratic resilience.
Having endured authoritarian rule, the Taiwanese people bravely walked a long and difficult path of democratization, and built a resilient and dynamic civil society. But every democracy, no matter how hard-won, requires constant renewal and strengthening. Over the years, through the joint efforts of our government, parliament, and civil society groups, Taiwan has continued to pursue our goal of open government and open parliament.
Among the key results of these efforts are the Legislative Yuan's Open Parliament Action Plan and the Executive Yuan's Open Government National Action Plan, both launched this year. Step by step, we are establishing a solid foundation for joining the Open Government Partnership.
In recent years, Taiwan has also been strengthening cooperation with its democratic friends. Japan and Australia became official partners in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, which Taiwan and the United States jointly founded. We have also started working with partners outside of the Indo-Pacific region, including those in Europe, to address key global issues and deepen exchanges.
Taiwan stands on the front lines of democracy. We are willing to work with our like-minded partners to safeguard our shared values of freedom and democracy. Today's forum exemplifies this spirit of cooperation. By sharing experiences and exchanging views, we can together ensure that we will pass on our democratic way of life to future generations.
Once again, thank you all for joining us today. I look forward to further cooperation toward even stronger and more resilient democratic alliances, and I wish this forum every success.
Also in attendance at the forum were Legislative Yuan President Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Belizean Speaker of the House of Representatives Valerie Woods, Mexican Senator Nadia Navarro, National Democratic Institute President Derek J. Mitchell, Lithuanian Parliamentary Group for Relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) Head Matas Maldeikis, Latvian Group for Interparliamentary Relations with Taiwan Chairman Jānis Vucāns, and Estonia-Taiwan Friendship Group Chairman Jüri Jaanson, as well as multi-party representatives from the Legislative Yuan Open Parliament Committee including Freddy Lim (林昶佐), Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶), and Lai Pin-yu (賴品妤).