Xiao Meiqin, the representative to the United States. Picture: Taken from Xiao Meiqin’s Facebook (file photo)
The Russian-Ukrainian war has been at war for more than a month, and what happened to Ukraine has led many people to discuss the “Taiwan Strait relations” in a similar situation. In this regard, Xiao Meiqin, my country’s representative to the United States, wrote in the “Washington Post”. She pointed out that despite the obvious historical and geopolitical differences between Taiwan and Ukraine, they all have one thing in common, that is, they have long endured being neighbors with a belligerent dictatorship. The danger of the people of Taiwan, therefore, has a special degree of sympathy for the suffering of Ukraine. “The determination and resilience of the Ukrainians after the Russian invasion has inspired Taiwan and strengthened our country’s commitment to defending freedom.” She emphasized that democracy in Ukraine and Taiwan will prevail, and the arc of history will be in the global fight against authoritarianism Turn to freedom.
Xiao Meiqin is“Washington post”The published article said that after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, many scholars and world leaders compared the situation in Eastern Europe with the situation in the Taiwan Strait. She pointed out that despite the obvious historical and geopolitical differences between Taiwan and Ukraine, they all have one thing in common, that is, they have endured the danger of being a neighbor of a belligerent dictatorship for a long time. Therefore, the people of Taiwan have a special understanding of the suffering of Ukraine. level of sympathy, which is why Taiwan joins the United States and other partners in imposing sanctions on Russia and responding to calls for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
She mentioned that on February 28, the Taiwanese government sent a plane through Poland to deliver medical supplies and financial aid, and then began to accept private donations. The Taiwanese government has set up a special account through which more than 110,000 Taiwanese citizens donated to help Ukrainian refugees. So far, 30 million US dollars (about 850 million Taiwan dollars) have been raised, part of which has been paid to refugee centers in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.
Xiao Meiqin said that the Ukraine war showed the world the importance of democratic countries standing side by side against autocratic aggression, and more and more countries realized that appeasement is not the way to peace. Freedom and democracy prevail.
The report pointed out that Taiwan has been on the front line of the struggle between democracy and autocracy for decades, fighting to preserve hard-won freedoms, knowing that only by working with like-minded partners can we ensure universal values for future generations. In response, Taiwan thanked the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden for sending a delegation of high-level security experts to Taiwan in March, emphasizing the rock-solid U.S. commitment to Taiwan during the Ukraine crisis.
She said the determination and resilience of the Ukrainians after the Russian invasion inspired Taiwan and strengthened our country’s commitment to defending freedom. In recent years, Taiwan has conducted a comprehensive review of its self-defense capabilities, reorganized training procedures, reserve forces and defense budgets, and prioritized asymmetric combat capabilities to prevent China from making the wrong assessments like Russia. Recent polls also show that Taiwanese people are increasingly supportive of strengthening their self-defense capabilities, and their will to defend their country and democratic way of life is stronger than ever.
Xiao Meiqin said that no matter what claims and threats the Chinese authorities make against Taiwan, the ironclad fact is that “Taiwan is not part of China at any time”, and Taiwan’s future must be decided in a peaceful and democratic way. With regard to all of China’s military power, no invasion attempt will undermine the unity and resilience of the Taiwanese people. “Democracy in Ukraine and Taiwan will prevail, and the arc of history will turn towards freedom in the global struggle against authoritarianism,” she stressed.