‘INSEPARABLE’:
President Lai thanked the visiting Danish delegation and highlighted how closely Europe and the Indo-Pacific are tied in the face of the rise of autocracy
Taiwan can count on support from Denmark amid threats from China, Danish lawmaker Pia Kjarsgaard said yesterday.
In her brief remarks at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Kjarsgaard, who served as speaker of the Danish parliament from 2015 to 2019, said the delegation was aware of “how much threatening” China was toward Taiwan.
“I can assure you that … you can count on us. You can count on our support [for Taiwan],” she said while underscoring the importance of safeguarding the shared values of democracy.
Photo: CNA
In his remarks, President William Lai (賴清德) highlighted how closely Europe and the Indo-Pacific region are tied together, especially with autocracy on the rise.
“The security and stability of Europe and the Indo-Pacific have become inseparable,” Lai said.
At the same time, “the expansion and convergence of authoritarian nations are posing a grave challenge to the rules-based international order,” Lai said.
Peace across the Taiwan Strait would be consequential to global security and prosperity, the president said, adding that his government “is committed to maintaining regional peace and stability and to protecting the values of freedom and democracy.”
Lai also lauded Denmark as a “global leader” in the offshore wind power industry, and said Taiwan looked forward to expanding collaboration with the Nordic country in the field.
Kjarsgaard is making her ninth visit to Taiwan since 1987 with fellow MPs Kim Aas, Steffen Larsen and Mikkel Bjorn, and political adviser Henrik Thorup, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The cross-party delegation, which arrived in Taiwan on Monday and was to wrap up its visit yesterday, is the first parliamentary group from Denmark to visit Taiwan since the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the ministry said.