Taipei (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () said a summit on Monday that Taiwan’s alliance with like-minded nations will “prove to be the most effective defense of all” against everyday Chinese threats.
In a pre-recorded video at the 2023 Copenhagen Democracy Summit, the president said, “We must remain united to deter and to stop [China’s] aggressive behavior.”
Tsai noted Beijing’s “coercive measures,” including penalties, against nations, organizations, and individuals who disagree with or criticize its behavior.
The “most effective defense” against China is a coalition of like-minded nations
She said that authoritarian governments like China “actively conduct influence operations to erode our confidence in democratic institutions and freedom” through disinformation and deception.
“The people of Taiwan’s commitment to democracy has never been stronger,” Tsai remarked, despite China’s daily threats.
The Alliance of Democracies Foundation (AoD) and dozens of groups, notably the Taipei-funded Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, organize the conference in Copenhagen on May 15-16.
Tsai’s Monday address repeated her 2020, 2021, and 2022 summit statements, praising Taiwan’s democracy and asking for a unified fight against dictatorship.
Tsai, Zelenskyy, Stoltenberg, and Pavel also spoke at the conference.
AoD Executive Director Jonas Parello-Plesner conducted pre-recorded interviews with Taiwanese nationals Tony Lu () and Jack Yao (), who volunteered to fight Russian troops in Ukraine from March to June 2022.
In the interview, Lu, who delivered supplies to the front line, said he went to Ukraine with the hope that “one day people from all around the world will come to help us [in Taiwan].”
Yao added, “If we don’t stop them, we [Taiwanese] will be next.”
