Democracy 'non-negotiable' in Taiwan: Ex-President Tsai

Prague, Oct. 14 (CNA) With China aiming to annex Taiwan, Taiwanese have united to defend democratic values and demonstrated to the world that democracy is "non-negotiable" to them, former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told a forum in Prague on Monday.

For more than 50 years, Tsai said, Taiwan has faced continued intimidation from the Chinese communist regime, including a military exercise that began earlier Monday around Taiwan.

The military maneuvers, which ended later Monday, were code-named "Joint Sword-2024B" and involved drills by the army, navy, air force and rocket forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in areas north, south and east of Taiwan."

The PLA described the military drills as a "stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces," in reference to its claim -- strongly opposed by Taipei -- that Taiwan is a part of its territory.

Dealing with the kind of intimidation that exists in such military exercises and a fickle international environment, Taiwanese society and its leaders have become resilient and pragmatic in working toward the goal of safeguarding the country's hard-earned democracy, she said.

"In other words, the people of Taiwan have demonstrated time and again that democracy is a non-negotiable part of who we are," Tsai said during the 28th Forum 2000.

"It is also a part of our unwavering identity. Even though safeguarding who we are has required courage and persistence, it is the commitment we made as Taiwanese."

Taiwan has also worked diligently to take on coercion and intimidation through security collaboration with like-minded allies through its efforts on military reform, civil defense, and media literacy, Tsai said.

"It is evidence to me, that democracy is truly the only game in town for Taiwan, and life in Taiwan is unquestionably free and democratic" Tsai said.

Yet in other countries, authoritarianism and illiberalism has been on the rise, she said.

"We have found authoritarian regimes becoming more confident than ever in their way of rule," Tsai said. "We could feel that they now truly believe that authoritarianism is more adaptive than the democratic system."

Through gray-zone activities, military threats and invasions, and cognitive and information warfare, authoritarian regimes are now aiming to erode citizens' confidence in democratic institutions and polarize democratic societies, Tsai said.

That is why, for example, Taiwan lent its support to Ukraine after it was invaded by Russia, including providing humanitarian support and joining allies in enforcing economic sanctions against Russia on exports of strategic high-tech commodities, she said.

Taiwan has also set up partnerships with member states of the European Union, Tsai said.

"Democracies need to send the signal that intimidation and the use of force against any member would result in serious consequences," Tsai said.

The 28th annual Forum 2000 Conference is titled "Proving Democracy's Resolve and Resilience."

The Forum 2000 was founded in 1996 as a joint initiative of the late Czech President Václav Havel, Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel.

Tsai spoke remotely at the annual forum during her presidency in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Before attending the Forum 2000, Tsai paid tribute to Havel at the Vyšehrad Cemetery.

Havel, a famous dissident who helped lead the 1989 overthrow of communism, was elected president of Czechoslovakia but stepped down before the country split up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia at the end of 1992. He died at 75 in 2011.