On January 13, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Lai Ching-te met with a visiting delegation of Canadian federal Members of Parliament and expressed gratitude for Canada’s longstanding firm support for Taiwan. He looks forward to continued collaboration between the two sides and working together with global democratic countries to safeguard the universal values of freedom, democracy, and human rights.
The Canadian federal Members of Parliament delegation visiting Taiwan included the delegation leader, Melissa Lantsman, Adam Chambers, Shelby Kramp-Neuman, among others. They were accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu and visited President Lai Ching-te at the Presidential Office of the Republic of China.
President Lai Ching-te welcomed the delegation on behalf of the Taiwanese people and expressed his excitement to meet with Canadian parliamentarians at the beginning of 2026. He especially mentioned Melissa Lantsman, who had visited Taiwan and met with President Lai in 2023, making him very pleased to meet her again.
He thanked the Canadian Parliament for its longstanding firm support for Taiwan, noting that many Canadian MPs have been involved in bilateral relations between Canada and Taiwan, proposed 18 recommendations to the government in support of Taiwan’s international participation, and opposed the misinterpretation of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 by the Chinese Communist Party, leaving a strong impression.
President Lai Ching-te mentioned the recent large-scale military exercises conducted by China around Taiwan, which unilaterally escalated regional tensions. He expressed deep appreciation for the Canadian government’s public statement showing concern and opposition to unilaterally changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, emphasizing that maintaining peace and stability in the region is not only in the interest of all parties but also a consensus of the international community.
“Over the past three years, Taiwan and Canada have made concrete progress in various areas of cooperation such as economy, technology, and maritime affairs,” President Lai said. The deepening bilateral relationship, with the signing of agreements on investment promotion and protection, scientific and technological cooperation, has yielded substantial results.
President Lai Ching-te underscored the importance of Taiwan-Canada cooperation in economic sectors, especially as the world enters the new era of artificial intelligence. He expressed hope for continued bilateral economic and trade cooperation, particularly if the Taiwan-Canada Trade Cooperation Framework Agreement could be signed soon, benefiting both countries’ industries and people.
Amidst military threats from China to neighboring countries, President Lai Ching-te stressed the belief that “peace is priceless, and there are no winners in war.” He reiterated the commitment to “attain peace through strength” and demonstrated Taiwan’s determination for self-defense through concrete actions to the world. He announced that Taiwan’s defense budget for the current year would reach 3.32% of GDP based on NATO standards, a record high, aiming to reach a further 5% by 2030.
Apart from defense, President Lai expressed Taiwan’s desire to collaborate with global democratic countries to protect the universal values of freedom, democracy, and human rights. In closing, he extended a warm welcome to the guests, wishing them a fruitful visit and a further strengthening of the bond between Taiwan and Canada.
Melissa Lantsman MP, in her speech, expressed gratitude to President Lai and his government for the warm welcome. She reiterated her pleasure in visiting Taiwan again and meeting with the President, emphasizing the delegation’s strong commitment to Taiwan and viewing Taiwan as a reliable and indispensable partner that contributes meaningfully to the international community despite being marginalized and isolated.
She outlined the clear purpose of the delegation’s visit, which was to convey to Taiwan and its people that there are many friends in the Canadian Parliament who support Taiwan. The delegation also sought to listen and learn from Taiwan’s experiences and deepen bilateral cooperation in a more practical and constructive manner.
Melissa Lantsman pointed out the numerous opportunities for cooperation between Taiwan and Canada in trade, energy security, supply chain resilience, advanced manufacturing, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges. She emphasized that Taiwan should participate in international forums to reflect its genuine expertise and contributions, free from the influence of authoritarian regimes that fear transparency and freedom of speech.
Moreover, Melissa Lantsman highlighted the concern shared by many bipartisan Members of the Canadian House of Commons over the strengthening partnership with Taiwan and the increasing threats faced jointly by Taiwan and Canada, including cross-border repression, economic coercion, and state-led disinformation campaigns. The delegation hopes to collaborate more closely with Taiwan and its civil society to expose and resist these threats.
She noted the increasing authoritarian pressure Taiwan faces internationally and Canada’s opposition to the normalization of behaviors such as intimidation, military threats, and attempts to change international norms by force. Canada firmly believes in building economic, institutional, and social resilience through robust partnerships based on the foundations of freedom, democracy, rule of law, and human rights.