TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) declared Taiwan a "beacon of democracy in Asia" during a Junior Chamber International (JCI, 國際青商會) event on Sunday (Jan. 4), urging young business leaders to embrace confidence in their nation's future. The president emphasized that the international community recognizes Taiwan as a democratic country. His 20-minute address focused on Taiwan's positive global standing and called for national unity among the next generation of business leaders.
Lai encouraged Junior Chamber members to take on their roles with optimism and pride, recognizing Taiwan's democratic achievements and its global standing. He reinforced his message by highlighting Taiwan's international recognition as a democracy, calling for national confidence and unity among the young business leaders in attendance. The president's remarks came as Taiwan continues to navigate complex cross-strait relations with China, the People's Republic of China, amid ongoing political debates domestically about regional stability and maintaining peace.
Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) arrived at the same event shortly after Lai departed, narrowly missing an encounter with the president. Cheng criticized Taiwan's poor performance in energy conservation and carbon reduction rankings, pointing to significant room for improvement. She emphasized the importance of regional stability for Taiwan's future, setting up a contrast with the ruling party's approach to cross-strait relations.
Cheng urged the creation of a peaceful environment across the Taiwan Strait, emphasizing the importance of this vision for young business leaders attending the event. She stated that Taiwan should foster a peaceful and stable cross-strait environment. The KMT chairwoman's remarks highlighted the opposition party's focus on reducing tensions with Beijing, contrasting with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP, 民進黨) approach.
