TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China intends to use Taiwan as a stepping stone to become a global hegemonic power, Taiwan Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said at a Hudson Institute event on Tuesday (May 16).
“Taiwan is not the CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) ultimate goal or final destination,” You warned in a speech. “The CCP wants to see the East rise and the West decline,” he added.
The CCP believes in traditional Confucian ideas such as, “There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two kings on earth, and all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people are subject to him,” You said. Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s (習近平) promotion of wolf warrior diplomacy, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the militarization of the South China Sea is a clear demonstration that Beijing truly believes in those ideals, he said.
The impact of China’s actions has led to 60 countries backsliding on democracy, the legislative speaker said, adding that “there is an assault on the global democratic community.”
You pointed out that amid the battle between democracy and authoritarianism, the U.S. has been a long-time ally of Taiwan that supports closer bilateral exchanges and opposes unilateral changes to the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. has also worked with Japan, South Korea, and other regional allies in recent years to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, he said.
“To ensure Taiwan’s security is to ensure the global public’s interests,” You said. “If we do not take China’s threats seriously, a dark future awaits all of mankind.”
After his speech, You joined Hudson Senior Fellow Nury Turkel and Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin to discuss how to defend Taiwan's democracy and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The legislative speaker is currently in Washington, D.C., where he met with members from the House committee on China on Monday (May 15). The two sides focused on how the U.S. and Taiwan can enhance bilateral relations through economic exchanges and security cooperation, as well as how congress can assist Taiwan in countering aggression from the CCP.
You has been pushing Taiwanese parliamentary diplomacy in recent years to deepen ties with allies and like-minded partners without causing too severe of a backlash from China. He previously traveled to France, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and other European nations to meet with his counterparts and garner support for Taiwan.
