Fan touts Taiwan at liberal assembly

GREATER ROLE: Taiwan can contribute more to democratic partners around the world, said the DPP legislator who is running for executive vice president of Liberal International

Taiwan can contribute more to the global liberal movement with its democratic resilience and experience in healthcare, education, women’s political participation and marriage equality, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said at the organization’s general assembly.

Fan is running for executive vice president of Liberal International.

The assembly had returned to Asia for the first time in 15 years, Fan said in a statement, adding that the first phase of the meeting was held in Bangkok before delegates moved to Taipei yesterday.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun speaks at a meeting of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats in Bangkok on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of DPP Legislator Fan Yun’s office

On Tuesday, it passed the “World Today Resolution,” recognizing President William Lai’s (賴清德) Four Pillars of Peace, Taiwan’s democratic resilience and its commitment to bolstering whole-of-society defense resilience, Fan said.

The resolution expressed concern over China’s increasingly frequent military intimidation and “gray zone” activities against Taiwan, emphasizing that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other.

It said China’s coercive actions not only undermine the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, but also threaten security in the Indo-Pacific region and the international order, Fan said.

Three additional resolutions proposed by the DPP were also unanimously adopted at the meeting, she added.

The first addressed the extraterritorial application of Chinese laws, condemning transnational repression and calling on democratic countries to reject attempts by authoritarian governments to silence critics, political dissidents, civil society organizations and communities beyond their borders, she said.

The second was on safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, stressing that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are vital to the global economy and international shipping, Fan said.

It called on countries in the region to step up maritime surveillance and information sharing, and support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international maritime security cooperation, Fan added.

The third condemned China’s claims of sovereignty and jurisdiction over Taiwan, saying that Beijing has no legitimate authority over the nation, she said.

It affirmed that the legitimacy of the Taiwanese government comes from the democratic will of its people, and that the nation’s future must be determined by Taiwanese through democratic processes, she added.

Fan outlined her vision for the executive vice presidency, saying the DPP has been involved with Liberal International since it joined as an observer in 1994.

The DPP, now in its 11th year of governing Taiwan, and the country are ready to make greater contributions to the free world, she said.

Pointing to Taiwan’s achievements in universal healthcare, education, women’s political participation and marriage equality, Fan said that the country has also maintained a diverse and vibrant democracy despite mounting pressure from China.

“Taiwan can contribute more, and Asia can contribute more,” she said, expressing hope that liberal partners from around the world would visit Taiwan, gain a firsthand understanding of its democratic society and strengthen international cooperation with the nation.

Taiwan could play a greater role in advancing freedom and democracy worldwide, she added.