Standing Strong Together
With the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year, many vaccines have been developed internationally and the number of vaccinated people has increased. However, the virus continues to mutate and the spread of the Alpha, Delta, and other variants persists. Taiwan suffered an outbreak in mid-May this year (2021), but with proper control measures, the curve was flattened within two short months. While we are proud of our public health achievements, the global pandemic still poses a threat and we cannot let our guard down. The government and people of Taiwan must proceed with prudence. Meanwhile, China’s suppression and intimidation of Taiwan internationally have intensified. China not only maliciously limits Taiwan’s space for international participation, but also deploys military planes and ships in our surrounding waters and airspace, threatening the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the region and wantonly damaging the rules-based international order. This provocative behavior has raised serious concerns in the international community.
Faced with the global spread of the pandemic and the reality of China’s suppression, the government of Taiwan has responded in a composed manner. We have not only made great economic strides, but also continue to firmly uphold democracy and freedom and defend our national sovereignty and interests. We actively maintain stable diplomatic relations and coordinate with like-minded countries to preserve shared values and regional peace and stability.
1. Taiwan once again wins global acclaim for its democratic antipandemic measures.
1.1 Taiwan’s success against the pandemic demonstrates the unity of its people and the cycle of international goodwill.
Taiwan’s pandemic situation took a downturn in mid-May this year due to the ongoing spread of the pandemic and evolution of the virus. Daily new cases reached as high as 723. Our government immediately deployed tight prevention measures, and with the cooperation of the population, the pandemic situation ebbed in mid-July. By August, only three months into the outbreak, daily new cases decreased to single digits and even zero on a number of days. Moreover, Taiwan’s first-dose vaccine coverage increased from less than one percent in mid-May to more than 52 percent in late September, demonstrating that high public health standards and high levels of self-discipline among citizens, as well as transparent and democratic governance, are the best ways to fight the pandemic.
Regarding vaccine acquisition, Taiwan actively strives to obtain vaccine doses through three channels: procurement, international donations, and domestic development and manufacturing. In terms of procurement, as of late September, over nine million doses had been delivered. Last year (2020) we actively shared our experiences in democratic antipandemic measures, known as the Taiwan Model, and supported many countries with face masks and medical supplies. This year, many friendly countries have generously given vaccines in return, including the United States (2.5 million doses), Japan (3.9 million doses), Poland (400,000 doses), the Czech Republic (30,000 doses), Lithuania (255,900 doses), and Slovakia (160,000 doses). This demonstrates the virtuous cycle among democracies of helping each other and standing together against the pandemic; and for Taiwan, it testifies to the truth that virtue never stands alone—it is bound to have neighbors. In terms of domestic development and manufacturing, the government of Taiwan fully recognizes that vaccines are critical strategic antipandemic supplies. Therefore, we entered into domestic vaccine development and manufacturing at an early stage to elevate our antipandemic capabilities and to seek to benefit the international community. Currently, the Taiwan-produced Medigen vaccine is being manufactured and rolled out domestically and is undergoing phase III trials as part of cooperation with our ally Paraguay and other countries. In addition, United Biomedical and other vaccine developers are actively developing and testing their products. In the future, they may play an important role in Taiwan’s further antipandemic contributions to the international community.
1.2 Taiwan’s outstanding economic and overall performance
Taiwan’s economic performance has been outstanding due to excellent pandemic control and strong domestic and international demand. In the first half of this year, the economic growth rate was 8.34 percent with a trade surplus of US$31.8 billion. Exports were US$207 billion (30.99 percent growth) and imports were US$175 billion (28.61 percent increase).
Taiwan has continued to promote national development under the threat of the pandemic and has made the following economic achievements: (1) According to the Institute for Management Development’s World Competitiveness Yearbook 2021, Taiwan ranked eighth in the world, our highest ranking since 2013. (2) International Monetary Fund data from 2020 shows that Taiwan is the 21st-largest economy in the world. (3) The World Trade Organization’s 2020 statistics show that globally Taiwan is the 15th-largest exporter and 18th-largest importer, with total trade value ranking 16th in the world. (4) In its second report this year, Business Environment Risk Intelligence ranked Taiwan the fourth-best destination for investment, behind only Switzerland, Norway, and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Other important surveys in which Taiwan ranks high include: (1) Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2021 annual report, which ranks Taiwan the second-freest country in Asia, behind only Japan; and the Freedom on the Net list, which includes Taiwan for the first time and ranks it fifth worldwide and first in Asia. (2) Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index 2021, where among 180 countries Taiwan is ranked 43rd and second in Asia behind only the ROK (China is ranked 177th, fourth from the bottom). (3) The World Happiness Report 2021 published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an initiative of the United Nations, which ranks Taiwan the 24th-happiest country in the world and the happiest in Asia; and the Safety Index by Country report issued by Numbeo, which ranks Taiwan the world’s second-safest country and the safest in East Asia. (4) The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Livability Index 2021, which ranks Taipei the world’s 33rd-most livable city—up eight places and surpassing Singapore.
In the future, the government will proactively utilize Taiwan’s advantages in digital technology and opportunities in global supply chain restructuring. Based on these solid foundations, we will promote the Six Core Strategic Industries (information and digital, cybersecurity, precision health, green and renewable energy, national defense and strategic, and strategic stockpile industries). We will implement the Forward-Looking Infrastructure program and encourage foreign investment to continue to improve overall competitiveness.
2. Taiwan as a bastion for international democracy and freedom
2.1 Faced with nonstop threats from China, Taiwan strives to maintain cross-strait peace and stability and strengthen self-defense capabilities.
In recent years, China has stepped up its hostile rhetoric and saber-rattling and has continued to engage in rash military maneuvers targeted against Taiwan. It has frequently held large-scale military drills and live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and other areas. Fighter jets have been sent into our air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in attempts to intimidate Taiwan. According to statistics released by the Ministry of National Defense, this year alone, up to October 4, there have been 182 incidents, with a total of 668 aircraft entering Taiwan’s ADIZ, which significantly surpasses last year’s total of 380. In addition, China has targeted Taiwan through economic measures, cognitive warfare, and other stratagems. These include banning Taiwanese pineapple, custard apple, and wax apple imports, using the internet and social media platforms to spread disinformation, and attacking Taiwan’s government over issues such as the pandemic and vaccines in an attempt to sow discord in Taiwanese society.
Against the backdrop of China’s deliberate efforts to undermine security and stability across the Taiwan Strait, President Tsai Ing-wen has reiterated on numerous occasions that the government’s policy on cross-strait relations is based on peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue. Taiwan is willing to work together to facilitate meaningful dialogue under the principles of parity and dignity in efforts to maintain the cross-strait status quo and regional peace and stability. Taiwan hopes the other side of the Taiwan Strait will shoulder its responsibilities and adopt a pragmatic view on the reality of Taiwan’s existence. At the same time, Taiwan will continue with unwavering determination to enhance its self-defense capabilities by developing nontraditional asymmetric military capabilities, fortifying its defenses against cyber and cognitive warfare, and collaborating closely with like-minded partners, including the United States, Japan, and the European Union. Taiwan will continue to upgrade its security partnerships and contribute to jointly defending the rules-based international order.
2.2 Increased international support for democratic Taiwan creates a new peak in pro-Taiwan sentiment.
China’s military expansionism in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait in recent years has threatened regional peace and stability, causing the international community to express serious concerns on numerous occasions, including at the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the US-Japan Summit, the US-ROK Summit, the EU-Japan Summit, the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting, the Japan-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations, the G7 Leaders’ Summit, the EU-US Summit, the France-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Consultations, and the US-Australia Ministerial Consultations. Statements from these high-level meetings have all voiced concerns over China’s attempts to undermine regional security and underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Japan’s annual defense white paper, Defense of Japan 2021, included the issue of cross-strait stability for the first time, demonstrating that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region has become a focus of worldwide attention.
Furthermore, the importance of Taiwan being on the front line against China’s expansion and threats means that we have received significant attention and backing from the international democratic community. For example, this March, US President Joe Biden released the first interim National Security Strategic Guidance since taking office, which clearly expressed support for Taiwan; Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III have publicly expressed staunch support for Taiwan on various occasions, reiterating that the commitment of the United States to Taiwan’s security is rock solid and that the United States will uphold the Taiwan Relations Act and Six Assurances. Taiwan also enjoys strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Former Senator Christopher Dodd was appointed to lead a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan this April while Hon. Tammy Duckworth and two other Senators visited Taiwan in June to announce the donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan. The Senate recently passed the US Innovation and Competition Act of 2021. The act incorporates the Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty Act, the Strategic Competition Act, and the Taiwan Fellowship Act. In July, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement Act. These concrete actions show the US government is continuing to strengthen Taiwan-US relations.
Japan has donated a total of five batches of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, amounting to over 3.9 million doses. Among the donations Taiwan has received from other nations, Japan has contributed the most doses. In recent years, Japan has also increased its support for Taiwan in international arenas. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi, and other important officials and legislators have publicly and firmly supported peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by making pro-Taiwan statements and stating that the security of Taiwan is directly linked with that of Japan on multiple occasions.
The European Union sees Taiwan as a values-based partner on the foundation of a shared commitment to democracy, freedom, and human rights. In January this year, the European Parliament passed resolutions on the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defense Policy, which both expressed serious concerns over China’s military provocations toward Taiwan. The European Parliament also adopted a resolution to actively bolster ties with Taiwan under the EU-Asia Connectivity Strategy. Lawmakers also passed a report on EU-Taiwan political relations and cooperation and related proposals in September by an overwhelming majority, which marked the first time the European Union has clearly defined Taiwan as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region. The report urges China to cease actions that undermine stability across the Taiwan Strait and calls on the European Union to rename the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan the European Union Office in Taiwan. These comprehensive proposals to strengthen Taiwan-EU ties show that Taiwan-EU relations are moving toward a new milestone.
In addition, because of Taiwan’s effective antipandemic efforts, excellent public health track record, and willingness to shoulder its international responsibilities and assist other countries to combat COVID-19, the international community now fully understands the urgency and legitimacy of Taiwan’s bid to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO) and has advocated for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly (WHA) at an unprecedented level. This year, for the first time, the G7 and the European Union officially supported Taiwan’s meaningful participation in WHO and the WHA. High-ranking officials from the United States, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France publicly expressed support for Taiwan’s campaign. The US House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #LetTaiwanHelp in April this year, inviting leaders and members of parliament worldwide to voice support for Taiwan through videos or posts on social media. Over 250 lawmakers from more than 50 countries echoed the campaign on social media. The Japan-R.O.C. Diet Members’ Consultative Council passed numerous motions supporting Taiwan’s participation in WHO and the Japanese delegation backed Taiwan’s campaign during the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union meeting. The French Senate adopted a resolution backing Taiwan’s bid for wider international participation by a vote of 304 to zero. In addition, following their counterparts in Europe, Latin America, and Africa, lawmakers from West Asia, the Indo-Pacific, the Caribbean, and Canada joined Formosa Clubs from April to August this year. Currently, the Formosa Clubs have over 1,000 lawmakers from more than 100 countries, who advocate for Taiwan in the international arena to further consolidate pro-Taiwan voices and campaign for Taiwan’s participation in WHO and other international organizations.
2.3 Taiwan will continue to deepen and broaden cooperation and exchanges with like-minded countries.
Taiwan will continue to strengthen cooperation and ties with the international democratic community through various substantive cooperation mechanisms.
Taiwan and the United States signed an MOU to establish a Coast Guard Working Group in March this year. In August, the working group held a virtual meeting. The framework helps facilitate cooperation in maritime affairs and safeguard regional peace and stability. After an interval of five years, Taiwan and the United States resumed discussions under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement on June 30 this year. These talks help promote bilateral, regional, and global trade and investment.
With respect to Taiwan’s relationship with the European Union, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on connectivity and EU-Asia relations in January this year. The resolution highlights the need for Taiwan-EU connectivity cooperation and calls on the European Commission to explore negotiations on a Taiwan-EU investment agreement. In September, the European Parliament adopted a report on a new EU-China strategy. In the same month, the European Commission and the European External Action Service issued a joint communication on the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Both reports expressed concern for cross-strait peace and called for reinforced cooperation with Taiwan.
Concrete examples of Taiwan interacting and working with like-minded countries include the following: (1) The Halifax International Security Forum awarded President Tsai with the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service in May this year, in a high-level recognition of the accomplishments of President Tsai and the Taiwanese people in defending democracy. (2) Lithuania pushed back against Chinese pressure and decided to establish an office in Taiwan this year. Taiwan also decided to establish the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania. As the first representative office in Europe to include Taiwanese in its name, this was a significant diplomatic development. (3) The Agreement between Taiwan and Poland on Legal Cooperation in Criminal Matters and the Arrangement between Taiwan and Slovakia on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters were signed to strengthen judicial cooperation and crime-fighting mechanisms between Taiwan and the two countries. (4) The Central American Bank for Economic Integration established an office in Taiwan in July this year. It is the first intergovernmental international organization to set up a branch office in Taiwan. (5) Taiwan signed an air services agreement with Germany in July this year to strengthen Taiwan-Germany and Taiwan-Europe air transport connectivity. (6) Taiwan hosted seven fruitful international seminars with the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and Slovakia through the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.
3. Taiwan maintains stable and friendly ties with its diplomatic allies.
Despite the pandemic, Taiwan has maintained stable relations with its diplomatic allies, broadening and deepening cooperation across all sectors. In late January this year, President Tsai appointed Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu as a Special Envoy to attend the inauguration ceremony of newly-elected President Surangel Whipps, Jr. of Palau. Minister Wu was the only high-level official of a foreign government to attend. When President Whipps visited Taiwan at the end of March, he became the first head of state of a diplomatic ally to come to Taiwan since the outbreak of the pandemic. Significantly, the visit marked the successful launch of the Taiwan-Palau travel bubble.
Bilateral cooperation programs with other diplomatic allies have been proceeding smoothly. Taiwan has signed cooperation agreements with the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Eswatini, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Taiwan has also worked with the United States to host Partnership Opportunity Delegation virtual meetings with Saint Lucia, Eswatini, and Paraguay to strengthen collaboration in business and trade. Heads of state and government officials of diplomatic allies have publicly thanked Taiwan for assistance in their pandemic responses and other bilateral cooperation programs. They also reaffirmed their strong commitment to diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan has made significant achievements in actively promoting exchanges and cooperation with its diplomatic allies. In February this year, when Saint Lucia celebrated its 42nd anniversary of independence, in addition to high-ranking officials from Taiwan extending their congratulations, US Secretary of State Blinken made a statement noting the importance of trilateral cooperation between Taiwan, the United States, and Saint Lucia to facilitate national development. Taiwan organized celebrations to mark the 40th anniversaries of diplomatic relations with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize, as well as the 80th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Honduras. Taiwan continues to deepen friendships and bilateral exchanges and partnerships with its allies.
4. New Southbound Policy—continued deepening of relations with Southeast and South Asia
The government of Taiwan introduced the New Southbound Policy in 2016. As of June this year, more than 70 agreements and MOUs had been signed with partner countries under this policy in a number of domains, including science and technology, economics and trade, agriculture, vocational training, and disaster prevention and mitigation. According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Finance this year, Taiwan’s exports to the five founding member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore) increased 22.5 percent between 2010 and 2020.
Key statistics on Taiwan’s relations with its 18 New Southbound Policy partner countries for the first half of this year include the following: (1) Total trade reached US$68.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 32.14 percent, with exports growing 36.32 percent to US$38.9 billion and imports rising 27.02 percent to US$29.5 billion. (2) Sixty cases of investment totaling US$2.24 billion were recorded, a year-on-year increase of 58.87 percent in terms of value, with the main destinations being Singapore, Vietnam, and Australia. Inbound investments from New Southbound Policy partners—mainly Thailand, Singapore, and Australia—saw year-on-year growth of 57.5 percent to US$297 million in 255 cases. (3) Under the One Country, One Center initiative for medical cooperation, 32 videoconferences and lectures were held and training was provided to 14 healthcare professionals from partner countries in the first half of this year.
The government of Taiwan will continue to uphold the spirit that Taiwan helps Asia, and Asia helps Taiwan, and make good use of its technological strengths and developmental experience to create a reciprocal and mutually beneficial cooperation model with New Southbound Policy partner nations based on the four main components of economic collaboration, talent exchange, resource sharing, and regional connectivity.
Conclusion
Taiwan is situated in a key strategic geopolitical location in the Indo-Pacific region. It occupies a critical position in the global semiconductor industrial chain. Given Taiwan’s strengths and world-leading technology, the international community acknowledges the vital and indispensable role Taiwan plays in the global economic recovery and the establishment of secure industrial supply chains in the postpandemic era. The government will enhance solidarity with like-minded nations, uphold steadfast diplomacy based on mutual assistance for mutual benefit, devote every endeavor to safeguarding national sovereignty, staunchly protect democracy and freedom, and ensure regional peace and security. We will also proactively participate in regional cooperation mechanisms and build values-based alliances through mutual support and collaboration with free and democratic nations.
