Carlos Antonio Yeh
Acting representative / Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
After winning the presidential election in January 2024, Lai Ching-te, who was already vice-president during the previous term, has become the new president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Establishing a clear line of policy continuity, our new president has made his vision of ‘creating a new, smarter and more sustainable Taiwan’ very clear. This is to be understood as Taiwan’s commitment to achieve, among others, the objectives of peace, security, technological development, environmental protection and the defence of the democratic model achieved in recent decades. A new stage that will lead, in Lai’s own words, towards a ‘second Taiwan miracle’.
In the 1980s, Taiwan, which had just emerged from a difficult period, experienced an economic awakening that was described as the ‘Taiwan miracle’. An astonishing evolution that transformed an agriculture-based economy into a country that today ranks as the world’s 15th largest exporter, and which was accompanied in successive years by a democratic development that made it a model of democracy, peace and prosperity for neighbouring countries.
The last few years in Taiwan have been a time of unprecedented social achievements that have served to demonstrate that Taiwan’s society and democracy are sufficiently mature and have been able to develop with a markedly inclusive and diverse outlook. This has made us the first country in Asia and the sixth in the world in terms of gender equality and the first nation in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
The Taiwan of today and the years to come stands at the centre of the technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution, and leads the global market for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Taiwan seeks to adapt AI development to industry and use our technological development to strengthen the nation’s security, workforce and economy, among many other aspects. While addressing the dangers of climate change, holding firm to our goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, Taiwan’s development in sectors such as 5G, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, renewable energy and semiconductors is key in the global context and make our business environment very attractive.
All of this underlines the importance to the world of security in the Taiwan Strait, which is now more necessary than ever to protect and secure global technology supply chains. This has been recognised by friendly countries such as the US, Japan and the European Union (EU) itself, which have repeatedly shown their support for peace and security in the Taiwan Strait.
Within the framework of our relationship with the EU is the relationship between Spain and Taiwan. We are very proud to share with Spain universal values such as freedom, democracy and respect for human rights. And we also share a historical relationship arising from the Spanish presence in Taiwan during the 17th century of which important traces still survive today, notably an archaeological settlement in the north of the island where the remains of a fort and a church from the Spanish colonial period in Taiwan, from 1626 to 1642, have been discovered. Today we focus on fostering exchange between the two peoples in areas such as trade and commerce, tourism, culture and academia. The volume of trade between Spain and Taiwan was about US$2,317 million in 2023. We are working to increase exports from Spain, especially in the agri-food sector and products such as pork, oil and wine. For our part, we offer Spain our advantages in the development of green technology and our solid experience in areas such as medical care and public health, and we hope to intensify collaboration between the two countries in renewable energies.
Our enormous global potential makes it necessary for us to participate in international bodies such as the United Nations (UN), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), INTERPOL and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The European Parliament, members of the G7 as well as many like-minded countries have repeatedly expressed their support for a meaningful Taiwanese presence in these bodies over the past few years, and we will continue to make every effort to do so. We regard such a goal as paramount not only for the 23.5 million Taiwanese, but for Taiwan to remain a force for good and a reliable partner for the entire international community.
