Ambassador Jose Maria Liu
Representative / Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain
One of the habits that I value most since I have been living in Spain, as a Catholic, is to be able to attend mass regularly, something that I used to do in Taiwan, where Catholicism, although accepted and respected like all beliefs there thanks to our freedom of worship, is not the majority religion. If there is one thing that has always attracted my attention in the Catholic rite at Mass, it is the greeting for peace. The priest’s invitation to fraternally give us peace is one of the most generous symbols that Catholicism teaches us, because peace can only be understood in this way, shared, as a universal value. If it is not, it cannot really be peace.
In days as dark as the ones we are facing, the most immediate consequence of the many that the recent Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory entails is that it undermines regional and, consequently, global and universal peace and stability. The devastating Russian invasion poses a threat to the law-based order and challenges the international legal system that safeguards the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries around the world. And it also challenges the religious and moral system based on shared kindness, humanity and peace. If it is always a good time to quote Pope Francis, it is now more so than ever: “those who wage war forget humanity”. He himself reminds us that “God is only the God of peace, not of war” and that “those who support violence profane his name”.
Unfortunately, there are hegemonic powers that never tire of challenging the humanitarian value that Christianity, as well as the vast majority of the world’s religions that have been, are and will be, all of which have an impact on that objective so essential for the survival and prosperity of human life, which is none other than peace. In Taiwan we are also very aware of the continuous threat we suffer from China, another hegemonic power that challenges our sovereignty and continuously and dangerously threatens the peace of the 23.5 million Taiwanese.
Adding our strong condemnation of any violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty by Russia and deeply regretting that Russia has opted for invasion rather than diplomatic negotiations, we from Taiwan call on the parties to peacefully resolve the disputes in a rational manner as soon as possible. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan stands firm in its defense of the universal values of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law, values that we share with most countries in the international community, especially the US and the European Union and, of course, Spain.
Likewise, we join our like-minded partners in the adoption of solidarity measures in support of Ukraine, among them and as of today, the already effective shipment of 27 tons of medical and sanitary supplies as humanitarian aid, the collection of more than 20,000 boxes of basic necessities in the process of delivery donated by the people, more than 200 tons, as well as more than 28 million dollars collected (as of today), 15 million of them already donated for aid to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania.
But unfortunately, we are aware that the only real and indispensable help for Ukraine and Ukrainians today is not only in the hands of those of us who join the international solidarity, but it is necessary that all peace-loving countries join forces and share our desires to stop the hegemonic expansions that threaten the world order.
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