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On the morning of July 7, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation from the United States-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and its core partners. In remarks, President Lai thanked NED President Wilson for taking actions in support of Taiwan over the years. The president said that in the face of expanding authoritarianism and all types of hybrid threats, Taiwan is steadily bolstering its self-defense capabilities and strengthening resilience in such domains as the economy, trade, technology, and energy. He stated that moving forward, Taiwan will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with various sectors in the US in such areas as democracy, security, trade, and the economy. He also stated that Taiwan will work to jointly uphold the rules-based international order and promote global peace, prosperity, and development.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
I am delighted to meet with President Wilson again today. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my warmest welcome to our good friends from the NED and its core partners – the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the American Center for International Labor Solidarity.
This is President Wilson’s fifth trip to Taiwan since he assumed office. When he first visited in 2022, he said that he had especially chosen Taiwan as the first stop on his tour of Asia. This was done intentionally to underscore the NED’s commitment to standing with Taiwan, helping safeguard Taiwan’s democracy, and working with Taiwan to safeguard democracy worldwide. His words were deeply meaningful to us and reflected a goal shared by Taiwan and its democratic partners. I want to express special appreciation to President Wilson for continuing to take actions in support of Taiwan over the years. And I thank all our esteemed guests here today for standing with Taiwan.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US and the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s first direct presidential election. Although Taiwan and the US are on opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean, we are closely united by our pursuit of freedom and democracy as well as our shared values and beliefs. And we are jointly addressing a variety of global challenges.
In recent years, China has been conducting a wide range of military activities and gray-zone incursions against neighboring countries in the East and South China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait, seriously impacting regional peace and stability. Moreover, China’s extensive transnational repression and surveillance activities, including the use of domestic legislation to advance authoritarian expansion, have alarmed the international community, becoming an issue of common concern. Faced with these hybrid threats, Taiwan is steadily bolstering its self-defense capabilities and strengthening resilience in such domains as the economy, trade, technology, and energy. We are also actively enhancing cooperation with the US and other democratic partners. For instance, last month Taiwan co-organized an international workshop on transnational repression under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework along with its GCTF partners.
We hope to engage in experience sharing with the distinguished guests visiting today so that we can fortify democratic resilience and thereby better respond to the challenges of expanding authoritarianism. I am confident that this will lay an even more solid foundation for our cooperation.
Over the years, the NED and its core partners have established close ties with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and other civil society organizations in Taiwan, helping strengthen Taiwan’s links with the world. Moving forward, Taiwan will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with various sectors in the US in such areas as democracy, security, trade, and the economy. Together, we will work to uphold the rules-based international order and promote global peace, prosperity, and development. I wish you all a pleasant and productive trip.
NED President Wilson then delivered remarks, first saying that it is an honor to be back in Taiwan and a privilege to meet with President Lai. He mentioned that this is his fifth visit to Taiwan in five years as president of the NED and that he has visited no country more often than Taiwan. He pointed out that he returns because Taiwan reminds the world that freedom can endure even under extraordinary pressure, adding that it matters not only to Taiwan’s 23 million people, but to the broader cause of freedom.
NED President Wilson noted that just days ago, Americans celebrated the 250th anniversary of their nation’s founding. The Declaration of Independence, he highlighted, affirms that liberty belongs to the people and that free citizens have both the right and the responsibility to shape their own future, adding that the belief continues to inspire the endowment’s work as they stand with people pursuing those same aspirations in their own countries and on their own terms. He emphasized that their partnership with Taiwan, and especially with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, is among the most important in that mission.
NED President Wilson pointed to Taiwan as one of the world’s great democratic success stories. Under sustained external pressure, he elaborated, Taiwan’s people have built a vibrant democracy, competitive elections, a dynamic civil society, and a citizenry that understands freedom is not simply inherited but earned and safeguarded every day by ordinary people who refuse to be bystanders in the defense of their democracy.
For Americans, NED President Wilson said, Taiwan’s success matters because resilient democracies contribute to a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous world. He said that Taiwan is also an indispensable economic and technological partner that contributes to strengthening secure supply chains, innovation, and shared prosperity. He also voiced their belief that Taiwan has an extraordinary opportunity, as Taiwan’s security will rest not only on military deterrence and diplomacy, but also on deepening its place in the global community of democracies; not only on asking the world to stand with Taiwan, but also on continuing to show that Taiwan stands with those around the world who are advancing freedom.
NED President Wilson said that vision guides the NED’s partnership with Taiwan. Together, he added, we are working to strengthen Taiwan’s role as a global hub for democratic resilience, a builder of democratic networks, and a co-investor in democratic resilience, sharing Taiwan’s experience with democracy advocates around the world and strengthening partnerships that advance freedom.
NED President Wilson said that is why they are proud to welcome delegates from over 70 countries to Taiwan this week. He emphasized that by helping strengthen the democratic community, Taiwan also strengthens its own security and partnerships that will endure for generations. He noted that the NED family is proud to deepen their partnership with the people of Taiwan, with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and with partners across Taiwan. He then expressed hope of continuing to work together in the common cause of freedom.
