Ex-president Tsai urges Taiwanese to tell world 'Taiwan matters'

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that Taiwan must fearlessly and confidently continue to "tell the world that Taiwan is important" after arriving back in the country on Sunday.

"Taiwan's stride toward the world will not stop, and we must speed up the pace," Tsai wrote on Facebook, shortly after returning from a weeklong trip in Europe that included high-profile visits in the Czech Republic, France and Belgium.

"Be fearless and confident, and tell the world that Taiwan is important! Taiwan matters!" the former Taiwanese president wrote.

In her social media post, Tsai commented that she shared "Taiwan's democratic experience with the world" in the Czech Republic as well as "the democratic spirit of freedom, equality and fraternity" in France.

She also said that in Belgium she expressed Taiwan's hope that Europe could "continue to support Taiwan to meaningfully participate in international organizations."

Tsai, who was president from 2016 to 2024, also thanked the Taiwanese people who showed up to support Taiwan during the trip, and said that the "warmth" of Taiwanese people provides "strength" in "moving us towards the world together."

Also on Sunday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a statement highlighting key moments of Tsai's trip that began on Oct. 13.

The statement mentioned Tsai shaking hands with Czech President Petr Pavel at Forum 2000 in Prague, where she delivered a speech entitled "Overcoming Authoritarian Threat through Democratic Unity."

Tsai's presence at the MEDEF International, a French business organization, the French Senate, and the Universite Paris-Saclay, were additionally noted by the MOFA.

Moreover, the attendance of more than 30 members of the European Parliament, including the body's vice president, Pina Picierno, at a reception for Taiwan's former president was also emphasized alongside Tsai's speech to the European parliamentarians.