Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the evening of March 12, President Lai Ching-te attended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2026 Spring Banquet for foreign ambassadors and representatives stationed in Taiwan. In remarks, President Lai thanked diplomatic allies and friends from around the world for visiting Taiwan and strengthening exchanges and cooperation, demonstrating deep friendship. He emphasized that while faced with rapidly changing geopolitical developments, the Taiwanese people's love of peace and commitment to democracy and freedom will not change. The president stated that Taiwan will continue to defend regional peace and stability, and steadfastly work with democratic friends and allies as we foster global progress and prosperity.

A translation of President Lai's remarks follows:

I am very pleased to be here to usher in spring together with such esteemed guests from many countries and friends from all walks of life at this Spring Banquet. I wish you prosperity and every success in this new season. 

With hearts filled with gratitude, we say goodbye to another year. I would like to thank Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) for his promotion of integrated diplomacy, which has done so much to deepen Taiwan's partnerships with other nations. Just last year, he visited 14 countries on six continents, flying more than 209,000 kilometers – enough to circle the globe about 5.2 times. Most recently, at the beginning of this month, he led a delegation to our diplomatic ally Tuvalu, transiting through Australia on the way home and visiting Sydney. Last year, he hosted a total of 401 distinguished guests and delegations, and countless banquets. One could say that he has been “putting on pounds for the nation.”

I would also like to thank President of the Republic of Palau Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands Hilda C. Heine, Prime Minister of the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of Tuvalu Feleti Penitala Teo, and other important friends from all over the world for visiting Taiwan, showing their support, and demonstrating such deep friendship.

I also want to express appreciation on behalf of the country to the many nations that have strengthened exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan. Notable examples of such engagement include the signing of three pillar arrangements under the Taiwan-United Kingdom Enhanced Trade Partnership, the signing of the Taiwan-Japan Digital Trade Agreement, and the completion of trade negotiations with the United States, as well as the signing of the Joint Statement on the Pax Silica Declaration and Taiwan-US Economic Security Cooperation. We are grateful for the heartfelt support shown to Taiwan by our distinguished international guests and friendly and allied nations.

All these actions demonstrate that as we move forward into the new AI era, Taiwan will continue to do all we can to connect with the world and expand cooperation with democratic allies and partners.

I also want to thank the people of Taiwan for their hard work. Last year, our economy grew by 8.68 percent – the highest rate in 15 years. Employment also reached a 25-year high. However, we were also struck by a number of natural disasters. On behalf of the government, I wish to thank our people, who – regardless of gender, age, or region – stepped up with a spirit of service, standing united to assist those affected and help them get through difficult times.

Now, we step into a new year full of optimism.

Spring has already brought some welcome good news. In this year's World Baseball Classic, Team Taiwan gave their all, and our lively fans packed the Tokyo Dome to the rafters. Although we did not make it to the second round in the US as we had hoped, we did earn international esteem. We also secured a gold medal in the horizontal bar event at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Baku and, for the first time, won two titles at the All England Open Badminton Championships. In soccer, we advanced to the final eight in the AFC Women's Asian Cup and will continue to compete for a spot in next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil.

I sincerely hope that this new year will be one of peace, prosperity, and success for Taiwan, and that our nation will continue to move forward and make further progress. In the face of rapidly changing geopolitical developments and the expansion of authoritarianism, I also hope to see the ruling and opposition parties work together to successfully tackle challenges.

I would like to emphasize that, regardless of global changes, the Taiwanese people's love of peace and commitment to democracy and freedom will not change. We will continue to defend regional peace and stability, safeguard the values of democracy and freedom, and steadfastly work with democratic friends and allies to continue engaging with the world as we foster global progress and prosperity.

I again thank all our esteemed guests for being here at tonight's Spring Banquet. Please enjoy the delicious food, and I wish you a wonderful evening. Thank you.

Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Saint Lucia Ambassador Robert Kennedy Lewis and other members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan were among those in attendance at the banquet.