The Senate of the Czech Republic hosted today a delegation from the Taiwanese Parliament led by Mr You Si-kun, President of the Taiwanese legislature. I had the honor to participate, as co-chair of IPAC Romania (Interparliamentary Alliance on China), in all the moments of this historic visit, together with French Senator Andre Gattolin, at the invitation of our IPAC colleague, Czech Senator Pavel Fisher (one of the most prominent personalities in Czech politics, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Policy Committee).
You Si-kun, the chairman of the Taiwanese legislature, is the most inspiring politician I have ever met, with his modesty, compassion, erudition and sense of hard work. A man who has fought a lifetime to make Taiwan a prosperous democracy for its citizens.
There's a lot to say, but I'll just jot down a few brief thoughts now:
1. Regardless of the terminology, an invasion is an invasion. And now Taiwan risks invasion by the People's Republic of China.
The Taiwanese parliamentary chief of staff told me that for three years the civilian population has been living under the terror of 2,200 missiles aimed at Taiwan's cities, not military bases. That the psychological pressure, exerted through verbal threats and violations of naval and air sovereignty, is increasing day by day. That even young children feel the anguish of their parents and that, in effect, they all fear a war that threatens to destroy their open, inclusive and prosperous society.
2. A PRC operation of force in Taiwan can be prevented not by sticking our heads in the sand or wagging our tails at the potential aggressor, but by international solidarity, by sending a clear signal that any act not in accordance with the principles of international law will have major consequences, and by clear and unequivocal action to protect human rights (Uighurs, Tibetans, people of religious choice, Hong Kong), and by bringing China into line with the rules on labor and environmental protection, respect for intellectual property, etc.
3. Taiwan is the most democratic society in Asia. The charts show it. Both in terms of expression of political choice and in terms of diversity and inclusion. Supporting democracy on the continent that will shape the direction of the world in this century is an obligation for all.
4. Congratulations to the Czech political leadership, for its courage and moral clarity. For its fortitude to say loudly that democratic principles matter even when their enemies are adversaries like Russia or the People's Republic of China, not just unpopular political pygmies.
Yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine who lives here, about the character of the Czech people. Their history is the history of the courage to stand up to enormous empires when they felt they were fighting for the just cause (with God on their side, as Bob Dylan would say and Jan Hus must have thought).
An excerpt from my speech in the Czech Senate during the meeting between the Taiwanese parliamentary delegation led by You Si-kun and representatives of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC):
"Fellow legislators,
Perhaps less important is the terminology that some want to impose or forbid on us, whether we are talking about countries or peoples, nations or territories.
We must serve societies. And societies have their own character, whether or not they share languages with other societies. Their character is given by shared values and aspirations. And every legislator in the service of a society must have as his or her main objective the survival, development, freedom and dignity of that society which has given him or her the mandate to represent it.
But precisely because we who believe in freedom and individual rights believe that these values should apply to all, it follows that we cannot only care about our own society. We must also care about other societies, those whose freedom is threatened by autocracies.
Vaclav Havel spoke of Europe as a responsibility.
We need to understand something. At the other end of Asia, a little corner of Europe has developed over the last 30-40 years. It is called Taiwan and it is a society that believes in rights and freedoms, in inclusiveness and public services accessible to all, in the right to education and health, in opportunities for all, in human dignity, in transparency, in freedom of expression and assembly.
This corner of Europe there must be protected by us, the Europe here. That little piece of Europe over there is our stake in the future. It's the canary in the mine. Its survival and development can mean a better world for us all in the future. Its loss may signal a dark future for the whole planet, a future in which autocracy has strangled the idea of the individual and freedom, in which there is a single voice, one that dictates everyone's life in the most totalitarian way.
We are here to support that piece of Europe in the far east of Asia with everything we can."
Română
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