President Lai holds reception for traveling press corps

At noon on December 6 local time (morning of December 6 Taipei time), President Lai Ching-te held a reception in Palau for the press corps traveling with his delegation. At the reception, he commented on the accomplishments of the trip and responded to media questions about cross-strait relations, United States-China-Taiwan relations, the international landscape, whole-of-society defense resilience, and other topics.

In remarks, President Lai indicated that this is his first trip to diplomatic allies since his inauguration on May 20, mentioning that the time passed quickly. He said that the delegation would soon be heading back to Taiwan, drawing an end to the seven-day, six-night trip. He thanked colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their coordination, which facilitated our smooth and effective communications with the allies during this trip.

President Lai also thanked the members of the press for their participation and full dedication, helping the trip proceed smoothly and enabling the people of Taiwan to better understand its significance. Over these past several days, he said, our friends from the media worked very hard. Some caught colds and had fevers; some even suffered injuries, he said, yet they worked late into the night, sometimes going as long as 40 hours without sleeping, which was impressive. The president praised the members of the press for their dedication and said he looked forward to traveling with them again to visit Taiwan’s allies next year.

President Lai mentioned that the US state of California had been hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake earlier this morning and that he had requested agencies to continue monitoring the disaster situation so that necessary support, including rescue and humanitarian assistance, can be provided. He also expressed hope that residents in the affected area can return to normalcy as early as possible.

After delivering his remarks, President Lai began fielding questions from the media. The president said that in addition to everyone’s hard work, he had a strong feeling that Taiwan had been blessed, ensuring that this trip would proceed especially smoothly. He noted, just as everyone had experienced, that his delegation visited our diplomatic allies the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and the Republic of Palau, and also made transit stops in Hawaii and Guam. The president said that throughout this trip, he was touched by the enthusiastic support for Taiwan from international friends. The delegation was given warm greetings by our diplomatic allies, he said. While transiting in Hawaii, he said, he accepted the gift of the US flag and the Hawaii state flag from the Hawaiian State Legislature on behalf of the people of Taiwan. In Guam, he said, the Taiwan and US national anthems were played at the Governor’s House, and he was presented with a copy of the resolution supporting Taiwan at the Guam Legislature. During this trip, he also had conversations, over phone and videoconference, with friends from the US of different political parties. He emphasized that all of this shows the deep friendship these countries have for Taiwan and further indicates that our relations are rock solid.

President Lai stated that a nation’s greatness is determined not by the size of its population or area, and not by the power of its military, but is related to the degree of its civilization. The more civilized a country, he added, the more importance it places upon the universal values of democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights, and the more it cares for its people and ensures they can live better lives. The three countries that the delegation visited and the two places where it made transit stops have these civilized characteristics, he emphasized. While they are all different, he noted, they all share the same democratic beliefs; while they are all located in different time zones, they all have the same free air. Freedom and democracy, he said, are the shared beliefs of Taiwan and its friends all around the world. As for “breakthroughs,” he said, in his view it refers to like-minded countries and regions standing together and cooperating more closely in solidarity, in the face of expanding authoritarianism, for the purpose of safeguarding democracy, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

Regarding progress seen in Taiwan-US relations from transit diplomacy during this trip, the president was also asked whether he is concerned about China possibly taking further diplomatic or military action, and if so how Taiwan would respond. President Lai responded that Taiwan belongs to the people of Taiwan and that it is also a Taiwan of the world. The people of Taiwan have the right to, and should, he said, be more actively engaged with and make more contributions to the world. More exchanges, understanding, and cooperation in the international community, he said, should be affirmed and should not serve as an excuse for provocation by an authoritarian country. As for China’s recent uniliteral actions in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Taiwan Strait, President Lai stated that Taiwan’s national security agencies and armed forces remain fully aware of the situation and are thoroughly prepared to ensure the nation’s security. The president reiterated that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific is the strong consensus of the international community, and China, as a member of the region, also has a responsibility for the region’s peace and stability. The president then expressed hope that China will return to a rules-based international order and do its part for regional peace and development.

Regarding his visit to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) during his transit stop in Hawaii, the president was asked if this has provided any new perspectives or inspiration for Taiwan in enhancing its whole-of-society defense resilience. President Lai responded by saying that he was very pleased to visit HI-EMA and that he learned a lot. He added that he invited the agency to visit Taiwan, that it expressed intent to do so, and that in the future it could engage in more exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan to help enhance whole-of-society defense resilience. In fact, the president said, HI-EMA has already been engaging in cooperation with Taiwanese disaster preparedness and relief organizations and sharing its experience, in which it emphasizes maintaining awareness and training for disaster preparedness so that people can help themselves and each other when a disaster strikes. This approach, the president said, is consistent with that adopted for Taiwan’s whole-of-society defense resilience. Mentioning that HI-EMA also once took part in a training activity at a disaster relief center in Nantou County in Taiwan, the president pointed out that we have already cooperated in the past and expressed confidence that we can cooperate even more closely in the future.