Text and photos: Juan David Latorre
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Taiwan) hosted a reception yesterday to commemorate the 114th National Day of the Republic of China-Taiwan, during which acting representative Francisco Chang emphasized his “mission to improve and strengthen relations with Spain.”
Francisco Chang began his speech by emphasizing that “our mission is to work as hard as possible to improve our relations and further strengthen bilateral ties between Spain and Taiwan. We are committed to maintaining open exchanges and channels of communication, as well as extensive and constructive interactions with Spanish institutions for the mutual benefit of both peoples.”
“Our relationship with Spain is becoming increasingly excellent in all areas. Economically, I am pleased to note that in 2024, bilateral trade between Spain and Taiwan will reach a volume of $2.5 billion. This figure reflects a very positive trend, as Spanish exports to Taiwan grew a notable 25% compared to 2023. We are confident that our relations with Spain will continue to develop, as there is significant room for improvement and they potentially complement each other in areas such as cybersecurity, logistics resilience, and technological innovation. In this context, I emphasize Taiwan’s economic resilience in the face of the global reorganization of supply chains and geopolitical volatility. According to the IMF’s 2025 Global Competitiveness Report, Taiwan ranks sixth globally, climbing two places and leading for the fifth year among economies with more than 20 million inhabitants,” stated the acting representative of the Office in Spain.
“In the field of arts and culture,” he continued, “we are working intensively to showcase Taiwanese artists and creators who are highly successful and beloved by the Spanish public. During 2025, we have consolidated our commitment to the internationalization of Taiwanese art, promoting the presentation of our artists in the programming of prominent art centers, museums, and festivals throughout Spain. This strategy has expanded the visibility and reach of numerous artists in the fields of digital art, music, film, and literature, fostering awareness and appreciation of Taiwan’s current creative program. Regarding tourism, after being impacted by COVID-19, we are already recovering to pre-pandemic levels. All of this demonstrates the rapidly growing interest in Spain in Taiwan and vice versa,” Francisco Chang emphasized.
Regarding the celebration of Taiwan’s National Day, the acting representative of Taiwan noted that “We Taiwanese celebrate the founding of our nation and are proud of its vibrant democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights. This is also a time to reaffirm our determination to protect Taiwan’s free and democratic way of life and our commitment to friendly countries to maintain global peace and stability. Our democratic values and free market principles clearly distinguish us from authoritarian regimes whose hegemonic ambitions openly challenge the rules-based global order.”
“Situated on the first island chain in the Indo-Pacific,” he continued, “Taiwan is not only an indispensable force for ensuring security, but also contributes significantly to global stability and prosperity through its powerful economy and leadership in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, which drives global innovation and development. Taiwan is a secure and indispensable partner in the global supply chain. Taiwan produces nearly 70% of the world’s chips and 95% of the most advanced chips, demonstrating the great importance of our country.”
“Taiwan will work shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community, united as a force of deterrence to defend the rules-based international order, firmly maintain peace, and protect the free and democratic way of life. China has never abandoned its intention to invade Taiwan by force, creating tensions in the Taiwan Strait. In the face of military threats, economic coercion, and cognitive warfare operations, President Lai proposes the four pillars of peace and establishes the National Defense and Resilience Committee to strengthen our comprehensive resilience and social unity. Demonstrating to the world our determination for self-defense and peace, our government reaffirms that peace is the only option for cross-strait operations and believes in maintaining peace through strength, so we strengthen our national defense with a defense budget that at “It will reach more than 3% of GDP in 2026 and aim for 5% by 2030. Year after year, we have the growing support of the international community, such as the European Union itself, which has successively expressed that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential for global security and prosperity,” Francisco Chang stated during his speech.
“It is inconceivable that the UN and its technical agencies unfairly exclude Taiwan for purely political reasons,” Representative Chang emphasized. “In fact, Resolution 2758 only resolves the representation of China and does not mention Taiwan. It does not affirm that Taiwan is part of China, nor does it prevent Taiwan from participating in international organizations. Nor does it authorize China to represent any of Taiwan’s rights. The European Parliament supports Taiwan through resolutions condemning the escalation of Chinese provocation in the Strait and calling on the European Union to assist in security resilience. We hope to promote a Taiwan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement to unite the stable trade hub and collaborate with European nations on supply chains.”
Francisco Chang concluded his speech by emphasizing that “Taiwan is a highly developed liberal democracy. Its diverse society stands out in contrast to autocratic China. Looking ahead, Taiwan will promote proactive integrated diplomacy by encouraging more countries to collaborate with it, strengthening its position and demonstrating its strategic role in global democratic networks.”
