TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — “Taiwan’s democracy is its national security,” National Endowment for Democracy (NED) President Damon Wilson said on Thursday (March 31).

By having a resilient democracy at home, Taiwan has great standing on the international stage, CNA cited Wilson as saying. He added that democracy puts Taiwan on the right side of history and global opinion, and is what makes the East Asian nation “a desirable partner in the world.”

Taiwan can be at the center of the global agenda with regard to freedom, Wilson said. He also pointed out the reason why people around the world have responded to the war in Ukraine is because “it is such a clear story of freedom being expunged by an autocratic state.”

“Ukraine has shown the world that it is a democracy embracing freedom.”

Wilson said one major lesson Taiwan can draw from the war in Ukraine is that national security is the responsibility of every citizen. Every civil society organization and institution can be part of the fabric of civic resistance to any effort to undermine the sovereignty of Taiwan.

“I think that mentality, that this is what we own together, is really important,” he said.

Wilson added the Taiwanese have the power to change and shape their own future by being active participants in the defense of their country.