Taiwan President Lai Ching-te attended the opening ceremony of the 2025 “Halifax (HFX) Taipei Forum” on the 20th of February. During his speech, he raised three appeals, emphasizing the unity of the democratic camp and stating that Taiwan will continue to work with democratic countries to create a better new era.
President Lai Ching-te mentioned that the annual meeting of the “Halifax International Security Forum” held in Canada is an important gathering place for countries around the world that cherish freedom. He expressed gratitude to President Peter van Praagh and the forum for their strong support for Taiwan.
Since 2018, Taiwan has been invited to participate in the “Halifax International Security Forum” every year. Last year, former President Tsai Ing-wen was invited to speak, and this year Taiwan was chosen as the location for the forum outside North America for the first time.
President Lai Ching-te quoted President van Praagh saying, “Although the current security challenges are too vast for any single country to solve, when democratic countries cooperate hand in hand, there is no challenge that cannot be overcome.” Today, leaders and experts from around the world have gathered in Taiwan to not only show their importance and support for Taiwan but also to demonstrate the unity and cooperation of democratic countries in collectively addressing various challenges.
He praised the attendees as “defenders of freedom” and expressed gratitude and admiration. With the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and authoritarian countries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran continuing to gather, along with China’s economic impacts, the global economic order, democracy, freedom, peace, and stability are facing severe challenges.
President Lai Ching-te emphasized that Taiwan, strategically located in the first island chain, faces direct threats from authoritarianism. However, Taiwan remains fearless in safeguarding national sovereignty, maintaining the way of life based on democracy and freedom, and defending peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan embraces the ideal of peace but is not naive about peace. Taiwan will uphold the spirit of “peace through strength” to build a stronger Taiwan and strengthen the democratic and free camp.
He expressed gratitude for the continuous international attention to the Taiwan Strait issue. Recently, the joint statement by US President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has shown firm support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan’s participation in international affairs.
Amid the complex international situation, President Lai Ching-te made three appeals to the international community:
First, as authoritarianism unites, the democratic camp should unite even more. Just a few days ago, the foreign ministers of the United States, Japan, and South Korea held their first meeting, emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. They expressed their joint opposition to any actions that undermine democracy, economic independence, and global security. Taiwan will continue to contribute its own efforts to this cause.
President Lai Ching-te announced the prioritization of a special budget to increase defense spending to exceed 3% of GDP. Shortly after taking office last year, he established the “National Defense Resilience Committee” at the Presidential Palace to bring together government and civilian forces to enhance defense, livelihood, disaster prevention, and democratic resilience.
He mentioned that Taiwan will deepen strategic partnerships with the democratic camp, enhance defense resilience, jointly exert deterrent power, and achieve the goal of world peace.
Second, “Let us build a global ‘Non-Red Supply Chain’ together.” The democratic camp must have strong technological capabilities as the backbone of national defense to effectively deter authoritarian expansion and promote industrial development to enhance economic resilience. Facing the impact of China’s “Red Supply Chain” and dumping at low prices, Taiwan has the ability and willingness to cooperate with the democratic camp to jointly maintain the technological advantage of democratic partners and build a resilient “Non-Red Supply Chain.”
As a semiconductor powerhouse, Taiwan will propose the “Global Semiconductor Democratic Supply Chain Partner Initiative” to jointly establish a global alliance for AI chip industry chains and a democratic supply chain for high-end chip-related industries. “The achievements of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry today stem from our collective efforts. Over the past 50 years, cooperation between industry, government, academia, and research sectors has made Taiwan’s semiconductor industry a global leader.”
“We hope to leverage Taiwan as a base to connect the strength of democratic partners, allowing each other to play suitable roles in the semiconductor industry chain and develop respective strengths to deepen mutually beneficial technological cooperation. This not only aligns with the shared economic interests of Taiwan and various countries but also helps to enhance deterrent power and maintain global security.”
Third, “Let us unite and revive the dawn of peace.” China’s verbal and military intimidation towards Taiwan has never ceased. Last year, China launched large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait multiple times, continuously escalating gray zone intrusions, posing a serious threat to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. “We will not provoke conflicts actively but will be willing to engage with China in dialogue on the basis of equality and dignity, dedicated to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
President Lai Ching-te stated that as the agenda of this forum reveals, democracy and freedom not only create opportunities but also bring resilience, justice, partnerships, and security. Taiwan will continue to work together with democratic countries to create a better new era.