【Epoch Times May 20, 2025】 President of the Republic of China, Lai Ching-te, delivered a speech on the occasion of his first anniversary in office, covering topics such as enhancing national resilience, Taiwan as a beacon of democracy, deepening Taiwan-U.S. economic and trade relations, focusing on Taiwan, global positioning, and strengthening the economic path of the United States. He emphasized the unity of both ruling and opposition parties to resist division, hoping to make Taiwan a shining light in the world.
President Lai Ching-te stated in his address at the Presidential Palace in the morning of May 20th, under the theme “Embracing transformation and advancing steadily,” that Taiwan is now a global player in technological development, international supply chain division of labor, global economic and trade exchanges, and regional security affairs, playing a pivotal and indispensable role in these areas.
President Lai mentioned that the government will establish a fund to boost Taiwan’s economic development momentum and instruct the national security team to begin planning and provide “important national security briefings” to opposition party leaders. He expressed the expectation for leaders of all parties to prioritize national interests, uphold national security, and work together to face various challenges. Here is the full text of President Lai’s speech:
“Vice President Hsiao Mei-chin, Secretary-General Pan Meng-an, Deputy Secretary-General Ho Chih-wei, Deputy Secretary-General Chang Dun-han, friends from the media on-site, and compatriots watching online, good morning and greetings to all.
Yesterday, a tragic major traffic accident occurred outside the North Campus of Beida Elementary School in Sanxia, New Taipei City, resulting in multiple casualties. The Executive Yuan immediately set up a special task force, and I visited the injured last night. The central government and local authorities will work together to actively assist the families, promptly identify the cause of the accident, review and improve to prevent such unfortunate incidents from happening again. Here, I express my deepest condolences to the victims and their families, and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
The government’s purpose is to serve the people. I am grateful for the trust of the Taiwanese people. A year ago today, I took on the heavy responsibility of leading the country forward. I want to thank all my fellow countrymen for working hand in hand with the government over the past year to overcome various challenges and continue to move the country forward.
Facing global attention and the three most important challenges affecting the people: climate change, health promotion, and social resilience, I have set up three committees in the Presidential Palace. We have made progress in all three areas.
We are aligning internationally, with autonomous plans ‘from the bottom up’ by various ministries, and the Executive Yuan’s Net Zero Task Force taking a ‘top-down’ approach, proposing six departments and 20 flagship decarbonization projects. By 2030, the government will continue to invest over 1 trillion NT dollars in net zero transformation and mobilize private green investment, aiming to reach a new national decarbonization goal of reducing emissions by 38% plus/minus 2 by 2035.
Taiwan’s air quality has gradually improved, with the average concentration of PM2.5 dropping from 21.82 in 2015 to 12.8 now. Starting this year, Taiwan officially implements a carbon tax system. We will steadfastly, steadily, and flexibly pursue the vision of a net zero transformation by 2050, along with the global community, striving for sustainable growth and prosperity.
Additionally, in response to the post-pandemic challenges globally, we are constructing a national-level epidemic prevention center to fortify the central hub of epidemic prevention. To promote public health, we are conducting universal cancer screening, establishing a ‘Cancer New Drug Fund,’ and initiating a 489 billion NT dollar ‘Healthy Taiwan Deep Cultivation Plan’ over five years. The total health insurance amount for this year has also increased significantly by 71.2 billion NT dollars, ensuring the sustainable development of health insurance. We aim to build a ‘Healthy Taiwan,’ making people healthier, the country stronger, and opening Taiwan to the world.
We are also working harder to strengthen the overall societal defense resilience by not only continually consolidating national-level project preparations and conducting on-site validations but also integrating the efforts of various ministries to propose 17 response strategies against national security united-front threats, aiming to unite the people to resist division and protect our cherished way of life of freedom and democracy. Recently, the Executive Yuan allocated a special budget of 410 billion NT dollars, with 150 billion NT dollars specifically aimed at enhancing national resilience, hoping for support from both ruling and opposition parties.
Challenges and obstacles will continue to emerge on the path of national progress. At the beginning of last month, the United States announced new tariff policies. I presented five major coping strategies and initiated an industrial listening tour, hoping to work together with the industry to overcome challenges and seek new opportunities.
The Executive Yuan promptly consolidated opinions from all sectors and proposed the ‘Strengthening Security Resilience Special Act,’ and will utilize the budget surplus to allocate a special budget of 410 billion NT dollars. Besides supporting industries and stabilizing employment, this budget aims to strengthen the economy, care for livelihoods, and enhance national security resilience, ensuring Taiwan’s industries continuously move forward steadily amid changing circumstances.
Especially in the dialogue with the industrial sector, various industries have advocated not raising electricity prices and supporting the government in subsidizing Taiwan Power Company to mitigate the losses in providing electricity to both households and industries from the COVID-19 pandemic to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, to strengthen Taiwan’s electric power grid for a stable electricity price, hoping for bipartisan support for the Executive Yuan’s special budget.
All sectors hope to maintain stable power supply. Energy security is national security; therefore, ensuring a stable power supply and developing diversified green energy have always been the top priorities of the government, whether in the past or future.
In addition to the electricity price issue, there is also considerable attention recently on the Taiwan-U.S. tariff negotiations. Following the previous round of physical consultations that are ongoing smoothly, the government holds firm to three key principles: ensuring national interests, safeguarding industrial development, and sacrificing no industry. We stand firm on Taiwan’s position, starting from deepening Taiwan-U.S. economic and trade relations, striving for the best negotiation outcomes in an orderly and decisive manner.
Taiwan and global democratic partners share democratic values, follow market principles, and prosper together. This is our greatest asset, a protective umbrella for Taiwan’s vibrant and energetic business community, and the biggest difference between us and authoritarian regimes.
For a long time, Taiwan and the United States, along with democratic partners, have actively engaged in exchange and cooperation, nurturing each other’s growth. There are bound to be friction among friends, but they can eventually improve through mutual adaptation. Just like the Bible says, ‘Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.’ Among friends, mutual learning can smooth out shortcomings, highlight strengths, and even in the face of differences in opinions, with a foundation of trust and sincere dialogue, deeper understanding can be achieved, fostering stronger bonds.
Today, Taiwan’s market is global, and its stage is international. In the future, we will adhere to the belief of democracy, expanding into diverse markets.
First, Taiwan’s economic path is clear. We will focus on a market-oriented approach, promoting a strategy that roots in Taiwan, positions globally, and strengthens economic ties with the United States. In recent years, apart from updating investment protection agreements with countries such as the Philippines, India, Vietnam, and Thailand, Taiwan has also signed an ‘Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement’ with Canada. In the future, we will continue to strive to sign investment protection agreements with allied countries and double taxation avoidance agreements.
Second, Taiwan’s trade strategy is clearly defined. We will expand our market connections with more democratic and free countries beyond the United States and market to the world. Therefore, besides completing the ‘Taiwan-U.S. 21st Century Trade Initiative’ first batch agreement, we have also signed the ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership Agreement’ with the United Kingdom and actively engage in signing trade agreements with other countries, while continuously seeking to join the CPTPP and other regional economic integration agreements.
Third, Taiwan’s economic structure needs adjustment, requiring a balance between export orientation and expanding domestic demand, enhancing technological research and development capabilities while upgrading traditional industries, and strengthening software development and production manufacturing.
We will continue to leverage Taiwan’s advantages to attract international businesses to invest and cooperate in Taiwan. In recent years, American companies like Intel’s new factory in Kaohsiung, Micron’s fourth factory in Taichung, and Google’s largest overseas research center in Taiwan, have all been launched in succession. Companies like AMD, NVIDIA, and major American cloud computing companies continue to expand their presence in Taiwan, with NVIDIA announcing the establishment of its overseas headquarters in Taiwan yesterday. Through these multinational collaborations, introducing advanced foreign technologies and participating in international research and development, we will make Taiwan a more robust economic entity.
In the future, the government will set up a fund to boost Taiwan’s economic development momentum. Externally, we will cast our eyes globally, invest in international markets, and the government will establish a sovereign wealth fund, creating a national-level investment platform, fully utilizing Taiwan’s industrial advantages. Led by the government, in conjunction with private enterprises, we will position globally, connecting with the major target markets of the AI era.
Internally, we will deepen the local supply chain, strengthen industrial resilience in response to changing circumstances. The government will enhance the function of the National Development Fund to achieve the goal of industrial restructuring, assist domestic industries and small and medium-sized enterprises in transformation and upgrading, enhance the international competitiveness of industries, and consolidate the foundation of domestic industries.
Fellow compatriots, democracy is our market, our value, and the demonstration of our national strength. Taiwan was once the country under martial law for the longest time in the world, and now we are the beacon of democracy in Asia.
In the past, many predecessors did not fear sacrifice and bravely resisted authoritarianism and pursued democracy. The current younger generation, through various constitutional and legal means, fear no hardship, actively participate in politics, safeguard the country, deepen democracy, and strive for a diverse Taiwan, which is something we are proud of as democratic Taiwanese.
I believe that no Taiwanese will give up the life of democracy and freedom; nor will any president deviate from the values of democracy and freedom.
The path of Taiwan’s democracy has never been mobilized by hatred but through citizen participation and consensus. We are not afraid of differing opinions because the core of democracy lies in finding unity in differences.
I have always believed that democratic disputes must be resolved through greater democracy. In the past year, facing the domestic political situation, we have convened a congratulatory delegation to represent Taiwan in the U.S. presidential inauguration in bipartisan cooperation, demonstrating the unity of democratic Taiwan to deepen Taiwan-U.S. relations. In accordance with the powers granted to the President by the Constitution, I have initiated discussions in the Five-Yuan National Policy Meeting, aiming for reconciliation and promoting cooperation.
We are always willing to open our arms and work towards inter-party dialogue, strengthening party cooperation. Therefore, I will instruct the national security team to plan for ‘important national security briefings’ to opposition party leaders, hoping that leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, regardless of political stances, prioritize national interests and safeguard national security as a prerequisite. With an honest exchange of views based on shared facts and national interests in mind, we can face the challenges together hand in hand.
Later today, the Taipei International Computer Show is set to open. This exhibition garners high international attention because Taiwan is the Silicon Island of the world, upholding the world economy and the nerve center of artificial intelligence. Key figures in the global technology innovation sector have come to Taiwan.
Looking back, this exhibition started as a small event next to Taipei Songshan Airport, but over the past 40 years, it has expanded continuously and now represents a significant milestone in global technological innovation developments.
This epitomizes the Taiwan story and the joint achievement of the Taiwanese people. Taiwan is now a global player. Whether in global technological development, international supply chain division of labor, global economic and trade exchanges, and regional security affairs, Taiwan plays a crucial and indispensable role.
We will continue to work together, with steadfast steps against challenges, making Taiwan a shining light, steering the world towards peace and prosperity! Thank you.