Thanks for the invitation from the TV producer and as a Taiwan citizen I’m humbled and honored to share my two-cents observation on former President Tsai Ing-wen’s extremely significant visit to Europe:
1 The unprecedented level of reception during this visit is a fruitful culmination of Taiwan’s past diplomatic efforts. It also marks a new height for Taiwan’s former heads of state in the international arena.
2 President Lai Ching-te arranged a meeting with Tsai before her departure. In addition, the success of this visit would have required the cooperation and support of Taiwan’s diplomatic units. All imply that Tsai as an “incumbent ordinary citizen” after stepping down from the office, works in concert with President Lai to raise Taiwan’s presence on the global stage.
3 In her speeches in the Czech Republic, France, and Belgium (the EU headquarter), former President Tsai emphasized Taiwan’s alignment with democratic and freedom-valuing partner nations in confronting authoritarian forces that threaten regional peace and stability. She also highlighted Taiwan’s great potential in key technological sectors, including semiconductors, clean energy, space, and drones…etc. This showcases Taiwan’s strength in value-based diplomacy, economic-linked diplomacy, and technological-connected diplomacy, and further solidifies Taiwan’s close ties with the global community.