DATE：2023-05-20
In face of China's political and military intimidation, the people of Taiwan are calm and will not act in haste. We are rational and will not act to provoke. The Taiwanese people have shown the world our unprecedented commitment to democracy and freedom. This shows the world Taiwan's resilience, and brings ever stronger international support for democratic Taiwan.
"Taiwan" has become a key word across the world. The Taiwan Strait has transcended from a cross-strait, regional issue to become the focal point of global security and international prosperity. The whole world is at stake. As such, we must manage cross-strait issues from a global perspective, and not revert to the constricted framework of the past.
The global consensus is clear: the Taiwan Strait issue must be resolved peacefully, and war is not an option. Neither side can change the status quo through non-peaceful means.
Since I took office, our position has remained firm, pledging to maintain the status quo, and upholding the "four commitments," in order to safeguard the shared interests and well-being of the 23 million people of Taiwan. We do not provoke, we do not act rashly, and we will absolutely not bow to pressure.
We have endeavored to maintain the status quo, prevent conflict, resolve cross-strait differences through dialogue on equal footing, and promote healthy and orderly exchanges. These are our shared responsibilities across all political parties and across the Taiwan Strait. These are also the common expectations of regional countries and democracies across the globe.
Peace is the only option across the Taiwan Strait. Maintenance of the status quo is the largest common denominator among all parties and the decisive key to preserving peace.
We are in a historic moment, when the international community is most attentive and supportive toward Taiwan. It is therefore paramount that the government and the opposition parties must stay united. Internally, we can be competitive in democratic elections, but externally, we must work in solidarity to protect the Republic of China (Taiwan).
This is because Taiwan's democracy did not come free of cost and peace is never earned through submission. I want to reiterate that to maintain peace, we must strengthen ourselves. The more united we are, the safer we are. And the safer Taiwan is, the safer the world.