Keynote address by Deputy Minister Chen Ming-Chi for a Macdonald-Laurier Institute event entitled “Strengthening Taiwan’s Resilience: A Forward Vision for Taiwan-Canada[...]

Keynote address by Deputy Minister Chen Ming-Chi for a Macdonald-Laurier Institute event entitled "Strengthening Taiwan's Resilience: A Forward Vision for Taiwan-Canada Strategic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific"

• Data Source：Department of North American Affairs
• Date：2025-11-19

Chen Ming-chi

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Republic of China (Taiwan)

November 19, 2025

(As Prepared for Delivery)

Dr. Brian Lee Crowley, Managing Director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute;

Ambassador Harry Tseng;

Dear friends and colleagues;

Ladies and gentlemen:

Good morning!

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, I am delighted to have this opportunity to engage with Canada and the international community. I would like to extend sincere thanks to Dr. Crowley and his remarkable team for making this meaningful event possible.

At the Halifax International Security Forum, we discussed the world's most pressing security challenges. Today, I am pleased to share Taiwan's perspective with you.

Taiwan is on the democratic front line, guarding against China's growing expansionism. To protect freedom and peace, Taiwan is investing heavily in self-defense, with defense spending expected to reach five percent of GDP by 2030. Taiwan is also upgrading its reserve system and strengthening asymmetric capabilities.

It has become clear that authoritarian aggression-such as military intimidation, economic coercion, and gray-zone tactics-threaten not only Taiwan, but democracies everywhere. Standing with Taiwan is the best way to defend our values, security, and prosperity. It is an investment in our shared future.

China's gray-zone tactics against Taiwan are often accompanied by lawfare. For instance, China continues to distort UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 in an effort to block Taiwan's participation in international organizations, particularly the United Nations system.

However, this resolution does not preclude Taiwan's international engagement. In fact, it never even mentions Taiwan. Neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other, and China has no right to represent Taiwan at any time or in any form.

Recently, China has been ramping up pressure on Taiwan. As the host of next year's APEC, China insists that Taiwan must accept the so-called "one China principle" in order to participate, despite Taiwan being a full APEC member. In October, China intensified transnational suppression and targeted Taiwan Legislator Puma Shen. China falsely accused him of the crime of "separatism" and even attempted to issue a red notice through INTERPOL.

China's actions threaten the human rights of Taiwan nationals, violate international law, and seek to challenge the rules-based world order.

Indeed, China's ambitions extend far beyond Taiwan. Beijing seeks dominance over the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the South Pacific. It is also looking to control strategic northern sea routes and the Arctic Ocean.

In addition, China aims to undermine the democratic community, having already attempted to influence elections in Taiwan, Canada, and many other countries. This is why there is an urgent need for the democratic community to unite in solidarity.

Taiwan and Canada enjoy close and cordial ties and mutually beneficial cooperation. Taiwan appreciates Canada's consistent support for cross-strait peace and stability and its opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo. Canada's naval transits through the Taiwan Strait and its statements at G7 meetings have reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation and respect for international law.

Taiwan-Canada relations have steadily deepened collaboration in areas such as trade, technology, health, and countering disinformation. And in August, we signed a memorandum of understanding on dark vessel detection, broadening our cooperation to marine conservation.

In September, ahead of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly in Montreal, Taiwan's action team held a press conference at Canada's Parliament, calling for Taiwan's inclusion. We appreciate the strong cross-party support from Canadian parliamentarians and their staunch advocacy for Taiwan's meaningful participation in ICAO and other international organizations.

Taiwan is critical to the global economy-even more so as we enter the AI era. As the world's leading semiconductor manufacturer, Taiwan produces over 70 percent of all chips and 95 percent of the most advanced ones. What's more, the Taiwan Strait is a crucial artery for international maritime transportation. And strategically, Taiwan is on the front line, defending against China's expansion across the Pacific.

Moving forward, Taiwan hopes to bolster cooperation with Canada and other like-minded countries in various domains.

Now, more than ever, Taiwan stands ready to contribute to the collective prosperity of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Only by working together can we create a brighter future for all. Thank you.