Speech for the Reception in Celebration of the 111th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
By Director General Louis M. Huang
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles
October 7, 2022
Distinguished guests, compatriots and dear friends, good evening!
On behalf of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles (TECO-LA), it is an absolute honor to welcome all of you to the celebration of the 111th anniversary of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in support of the common values of freedom and democracy that our country cherishes so much.
A Taiwan-U.S. Partnership Strengthening
As the only fully-fledged democracy in the Chinese-speaking world, the free and democratic political system of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has been well-recognized globally. In terms of the Taiwan-U.S. partnership, I am pleased to share with you that the bilateral relationship between our two countries has never been stronger since 1979. This year’s Double Tenth National Day theme is centered on the concept of “Safeguarding Our Homeland and Defending Our Country.” We call it 「守土衛國、你我同行」. In this endeavor, we are grateful that the United States has consistently helped with our self-defense under the commitment of the “Taiwan Relations Act” and the “Six Assurances.”
This robust and mutually beneficial partnership has also been demonstrated in the cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and local governments in TECO-LA’s scope of jurisdiction. In terms of supply chain security, Taiwan and the U.S. launched the “Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration Framework” (TTIC) in December 2021, featuring bilateral cooperation on supply chain resilience. TSMC’s historical $12 billion investment in Phoenix, Arizona is one of the greatest examples of our two countries in this field. We are also glad to see that Governor Doug Ducey of the State of Arizona led a delegation to Taiwan this year from August 30 to September 1. During his visit, Governor Ducey met with President Tsai Ing-wen and announced that Arizona will re-establish its trade office in Taipei. He also witnessed the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Higher Education Cooperation between Taiwan and Arizona.
Defending the Values of Freedom and Democracy
At this moment, the global political landscape is undergoing drastic change. Free and democratic countries around the world, including Taiwan and the United States, have been tested by the expansion of authoritarianism in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific region fueled by extreme nationalism and lust for regional hegemony. Amid this evolving global landscape, Taiwan is in a situation that is more complex and fluid than at any other point in the past seven decades. Taiwan is standing firmly on the first line of defense of the free world.
Our path to the future could not be clearer. Standing on the right side of history, Taiwan has been demonstrating the collective will of its own people’s autonomy, equipped with its steadfast beliefs in freedom and democracy. We Taiwanese are forging our common destiny in accordance with universal values, such as freedom, openness, diversity, inclusiveness, respect for human rights and the rule of law. Our path might be arduous, but it will undoubtedly lead us to the promised land in which the free and the brave will flourish.
Distorted UN General Assembly Resolution 2758
However, like every great journey, there will be ups and downs. To our disappointment, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to ignore the fact that Taiwan has never been a part of the PRC and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should not be subordinate to each other. It is important to point out that the PRC has long pressured the UN system to adopt an expansive and erroneous interpretation of the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. This has been the main reason for Taiwan’s unjust exclusion from the UN system. In fact, this resolution does not authorize the PRC to represent Taiwan in the UN system.
Fencing against the Expansion of Authoritarianism
In the past year, the PRC frequently dispatched military aircraft to harass Taiwan. It has also conducted cognitive operations against Taiwan, using our country's democracy and freedom of speech to spread "false information," attempting to divide Taiwan's society, confuse Taiwanese people's cognition, and force Taiwan to surrender. The PRC’s rough and uncivilized intimidations against Taiwan reached a new peak after the visit of Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August this year. Standing firmly on the front line, Taiwan will always do its best to protect democracy from the expansion of authoritarianism!
Peace through Strength
As President Tsai Ing-wen stressed, Taiwan is willing to do its part to contribute to the peaceful development of the region. Taiwan’s stance on cross-strait relations remains the same: neither our goodwill nor our commitments will change. We call for maintaining the status quo, and we will do our utmost to prevent the status quo from being unilaterally altered. As President Ronald Reagan mentioned in his famous speech “Peace through Strength” in the 1980’s Republican National Convention, “we know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.” Although we hope for an easing of cross-strait relations, there should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure. This is because the path that the PRC has laid out, namely the so-called “One Country, Two Systems,” offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan nor sovereignty for our 23.5 million people.
Safeguarding Our Homeland and Defending Our Country
The main theme of the 111th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is “Safeguarding Our Homeland and Defending Our Country.” In the past year, over 1,000 military aircraft encircled Taiwan and massive drills were conducted after the visit of Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the U.S. House of Representatives by the PRC’s People’s Liberation Army. As Taiwan faces these threats, some people believe that the signing of a peace agreement between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait could solve the aforementioned problems. However, we need to possess the awareness of self-defense to protect and preserve our hard-earned freedom and democracy. It is because we are facing the untrustworthy regime of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has torn its agreements with other parties into shreds so many times in history, just like how it failed the so-called “One Country, Two Systems” model in Hong Kong. We love Hong Kong and would love it even more if its own people were able to enjoy the free and democratic way of life as the Taiwanese people do.
Exercising the Freedom of Choice Wisely
One of the most precious things about the system of freedom and democracy is that it allows people to have the freedom to choose their own future, the direction of their country and the ideal life for future generations. In this sense, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the only fully-fledged democracy in the Chinese-speaking world, and its 23.5 million people understand and agree that liberal democracy, which respects differences and emphasizes human rights and diversity, has become a non-partisan and trans-ethnic consensus of Taiwan through the democratization and transfer of power in the past thirty plus years. After experiencing the brutal governance of an authoritarian regime in the past, we believe that the people of Taiwan will not choose another regime that is more autocratic and despotic. That is because we would lose our most precious freedom of choice if we were to choose to return to an authoritarian system, which is a decision that no one with sense will ever make.
The Importance of Our Country’s Autonomy
No matter how our country will develop and evolve in the future, the most important thing is that we must have our own autonomy. Only with autonomy, we would be able to demonstrate the very existence of our country and, consequently, its international status; we could sustain and create an environment of more freedom of choice for our future generations under a free and democratic system. These are the responsibilities of our generation, and the common wishes of all free and democratic countries in the world. Our beloved country, the Republic of China (Taiwan), is not only “a force for good,” but also an indispensable beacon of democracy and a benchmark of freedom in the Chinese-speaking world.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) Should Implement Freedom and Democracy
When we celebrate the 111th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan), a country upholding freedom and democracy, we also wish that the PRC could bravely take a great leap forward in its democratic reform, which is literally an important measure to create the foundation of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We hope that one day the 1.4 billion people of the PRC would be able to freely search keywords like “Formosan black bear” or “Winnie the Pooh” on the Internet and enjoy their right to criticize their government such as the Taiwanese people do.
I earnestly hope that our friends and community leaders present here tonight continuously support the values of freedom and democracy and the Republic of China (Taiwan), a country that upholds these values dearly. At last, I wish you all good health and continued success, and a very happy birthday and a prosperous future to our freedom-loving country, the Republic of China (Taiwan)!
