The highly influential U.S. magazine on international affairs and foreign policy, Foreign Affairs, published an article this February by ROC Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lin Chia-lung, emphasizing that Taiwan is not only a frontline democracy but also a strategic and economic cornerstone of the free world！
Since its first direct presidential contest in 1996, Taiwan has upheld free and fair elections, a vibrant civil society, and strong protections for human rights and the rule of law. Facing sustained military pressure, economic coercion, and gray-zone tactics from authoritarian China, Taiwan has developed unparalleled expertise in countering disinformation, cyber threats, and societal infiltration—experience that has become a global public good for democracies under pressure.
Strategically, Taiwan sits astride one of the world’s most critical waterways, with around 50 percent of global container traffic passing through the Taiwan Strait. Economically and technologically, Taiwan produces 60 percent of the world’s semiconductors, over 90 percent of advanced chips, and 90 percent of AI servers, making it indispensable to secure and resilient global supply chains.
Diplomatically, Taiwan has advanced a strategy of “value-added diplomacy”—moving beyond shared democratic values to deliver tangible benefits through investment, technology transfer, energy cooperation, and industrial development. Deepening cooperation with ??the United States in security, AI, energy, and trade exemplifies how Taiwan contributes directly to its partners’ prosperity and resilience.
Taiwan’s value-added diplomacy shows that partnership with Taiwan provides not only shared democratic values but also unique benefits—stronger security, greater prosperity, and lessons in democratic resilience that cannot be found elsewhere.
