President Lai Ching-te said Jan. 13 that Taiwan is committed to working with Canada and other democracies to safeguard universal values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights.
Lai made the remarks while receiving a Canadian parliamentary delegation led by Melissa Lantsman, member of the House of Commons, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The president thanked Canadian lawmakers for participating in the compilation of the 2023 Canada-Taiwan relations report, supporting Taiwan’s international participation and opposing China’s misinterpretation of the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758.
According to Lai, Taiwan and Canada have enjoyed close cooperation in economy, maritime affairs, technology and trade over the past three years, citing the signing of the Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement and the Science, Technology, Innovation Arrangement. The two sides’ economies are highly complementary, he said, urging Canada to finalize a trade cooperation framework agreement to further benefit bilateral industry.
The president thanked the Canadian government for releasing a public statement expressing concern over China’s recent large-scale military exercises conducted in the skies and waters surrounding Taiwan, and for its statement of opposition to any unilateral change of the cross-strait status quo.
Lai concluded by emphasizing Taiwan’s determination to self-defense, adding that the country will raise the defense budget to over 3 percent of its gross domestic product this year, and will further increase to 5 percent by 2030.
In response, Lantsman said Taiwan and Canada have potential cooperation opportunities in advanced manufacturing, energy security, supply chain resilience, innovation, trade and people-to-people exchanges. She suggested that Taiwan should further participate in international forums to demonstrate the country’s expertise and contributions.
The parliamentarian noted that Canadian cross-party parliamentarians have continued to recommend strengthening partnerships with Taiwan for many years. Both are facing threats such as economic coercion and disinformation campaigns, she noted, adding that delegation members hope to deepen collaboration with Taiwan and its civic society to expose and deter such threats. (YCH-E)
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