President Lai Ching-te said April 7 that the government is committed to unity between citizens, regardless of their party affiliations or political stances, to further strengthen Taiwan’s freedom and democracy and safeguard its sovereignty.
Lai made the remarks at an event April 7 for Freedom of Speech Day. Designated as an annual remembrance by former President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, the day pays tribute to publisher and democracy activist Cheng Nan-jung, also known as Nylon Cheng, who self-immolated in 1989 in defense of the freedoms of speech and of the press in Taiwan.
The president called Taiwan Asia’s beacon of democracy and cited its top ranking in the region in the latest democracy index published by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit as evidence. However, the country faces legal, media and psychological warfare, as well as increasing gray zone activities from China, Lai said, referencing recent large-scale military exercises around Taiwan launched by Beijing and the fourfold increase in espionage cases between 2021 and 2024.
To counter such threats, the president said the government will act decisively when it discovers people working with China to advocate a military invasion of Taiwan or who otherwise resort to extreme methods to undermine democratic systems. Lai decried the use of freedom to destroy freedom, and went on to say that any initiative that exploits the freedom of Taiwan’s people or calls for the elimination of Taiwan is unacceptable.
The key to pursuing freedom, democracy and respect for human rights is protecting the country’s sovereignty, Lai said. As president, his mission is to sustain the survival of the country, safeguard its hard-won democracy and ensure that its sovereignty will not be compromised, the president added.
Lai concluded by describing the reinstatement of the military trial system that he proposed at last month’s high-level national security meeting, assuring the audience that the restoration would not disrupt human rights in Taiwan, and reasserting the inspiration taken from Cheng’s spirit in opposing authoritarian rule. (YCH-E)
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