On Friday, November 7th, Taiwan’s Vice President, Lai Ching-te, suddenly appeared at the European Parliament and delivered a speech at the IPAC (Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China) summit. This marked the first time a sitting Taiwanese Vice President delivered a speech at the European Parliament, where she briefed legislators from various countries on the various threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party to Taiwan.
IPAC posted on social media platform X that Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-te delivered a “groundbreaking speech” to global legislators at the IPAC Brussels 2025 summit.
IPAC, composed of legislators from multiple countries, aims to monitor the influence of the Chinese Communist Party on democratic nations.
“Legislators worldwide are well aware of the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party. They are united in discussing how to address these threats,” IPAC posted on its X account on Friday, along with photos from the IPAC summit held at the European Parliament.
As a special guest at the summit, Lai Ching-te stated that her speech held significant meaning for the people of Taiwan. The gathering confirmed an important fact, that even though democratic nations are geographically distant, they are not isolated and “we are not alone in our values and when facing challenges.”
Despite never having ruled over Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party has consistently threatened to bring the island under its control. Lai Ching-te mentioned the increasing military and security threats Taiwan faces in her speech on Friday.
“We are facing expanded, coordinated, and evolving threats and challenges,” she said, listing the threats faced, including “military pressure and coercive actions in the gray zone; cyberattacks and dissemination of false information; leveraging economic leverage to force political submission; disruption of infrastructure, both physical and digital; foreign interference, targeting attacks, sowing division, undermining unity, and public trust.”
She also highlighted that many of these threats come from state-based actors, attempting to expand influence through fragmentation, destabilization, and undermining of democratic systems. She emphasized that the foundation of maintaining international order is through peace and cooperation, not “force or coercion.”
“Given the intensification of military and security pressure from China (CCP), Taiwan is committed to increasing defense investments, with the goal of raising defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2030,” she mentioned.
Lai Ching-te stressed that enhancing security goes beyond strengthening military capabilities; it also involves comprehensive defense, mobilizing participation from various sectors in society, ranging from cyber defense and emergency response to civil defense.
In her speech, Lai Ching-te once again emphasized the importance of ensuring a democratic Taiwan. She stated that Taiwan is important not only as a victim under threat but also because the integrity of the international system and global prosperity relies on a “strong and free Taiwan.”
As a democratic entity, she said, “we believe that free political and economic systems can bring about prosperity and growth.” This summit is not just a European forum; “it is a global moment,” bringing together members from various regions to collectively recognize the pressing challenges faced by open societies worldwide. While Taiwan and Europe may have cultural and historical differences, “our partnership is rooted in a common foundation we stand on.”
Lai Ching-te underscored areas where Taiwan can deepen cooperation with Western democratic societies, including trade and technological cooperation, and establishing reliable supply chains.
She stated that Europe defended freedom under fire while Taiwan established democracy under pressure, “These different histories lead to our shared commitment to peace, dignity, and resilience. Our democracies are not perfect, but they are open, not silencing critics but making criticism a guide for reform. They do not fear transparency; they demand it. They do not require loyalty to the strong; they require loyalty to the law and the people.”
Lai Ching-te also mentioned that Taiwan is a diverse society that values open dialogue, accountable governance, fair elections, and freedom of belief and speech, “We believe that truth should not be dominated by algorithms or dictators.”