It is my great pleasure to reach out to the people of Taiwan on the occasion of Polish National Day — the May 3, 1791, Constitution Day. On this day 232 years ago Poles approved a constitution — the first written act of its kind in Europe. It was an example of immense political innovation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth parliament, which empowered citizens by promoting freedom and equality.
To this day, it reminds us of the importance of cooperation and partnership of the like-minded nations. In this spirit, Poland — a successful central European economy that is strongly anchored in European and transatlantic institutions — is seeking to expand its cooperation with other partners who share our values.
Unprovoked and unjustified armed aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine causes us to reflect on matters that are fundamental for every participant in the international system. By continuously providing millions of US dollars and hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian aid to our war-torn neighbor since Feb. 24 last year, Taiwan took a clear stand. I am glad to see that our joint efforts in aiding Ukraine have helped us realize our common values and goals.
Last year, our economic cooperation visibly intensified as a result of Polish-Taiwanese consultations led by Polish Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Technology Grzegorz Piechowiak. Bilateral talks culminated in the signing of several agreements on cooperation in the fields of cutting-edge technologies, electromobility and environmental protection. Several months later, a delegation of Taiwanese trade representatives visited Poland. A new working group on semiconductors was established, creating a platform to discuss and coordinate collaboration in the field of technology.
In December last year, a Polish parliamentary delegation arrived in Taiwan to deepen the bilateral contacts. In March, Kaohsiung welcomed a large delegation of Polish mayors, who took part in the Smart City Summit & Expo.
We get to know each other better not only through reciprocal visits. The Taipei International Book Exhibition featured Poland as this year’s guest of honor of the popular event, a unique opportunity to present our rich literary culture and history in Taiwan. The Polish Pavilion offered several exhibitions dedicated to Polish history and literature. One of the exhibitions called “The Captains of Illustration from Poland” is still being shown in Taiwan in local libraries. I felt honored to see such a vivid interest of Taiwanese visitors in Polish culture. Our pavilion was always filled with guests.
Poland is the center of Europe, just like Taiwan is the center of Asia. We similarly benefit from our geographic positioning that make us attractive to foreign investors. Polish market is performing exceptionally well and is open for new investments in various sectors, from automotive and electromobility, electronics, information and communications technology to green technology and biotechnology. Representatives of Taiwania Capital investment fund specializing in such projects have already visited Poland twice this year looking for new opportunities.
In keeping with tradition, ideals and values of the 1791 constitution, Poland welcomes its closer cooperation with Taiwan, recalling the solidarity and mutual support in challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and instability caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I strongly believe that expanded economic, cultural cooperation as well as intensifying people-to-people contacts will further contribute to our already prosperous and stable relations.
Cyryl Kozaczewski is director of the Polish Office in Taipei.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) has caused havoc with his attempts to overturn the democratic and constitutional order in the legislature. If we look at this devolution from the context of a transition to democracy from authoritarianism in a culturally Chinese sense — that of zhonghua (中華) — then we are playing witness to a servile spirit from a millennia-old form of totalitarianism that is intent on damaging the nation’s hard-won democracy. This servile spirit is ingrained in Chinese culture. About a century ago, Chinese satirist and author Lu Xun (魯迅) saw through the servile nature of
In their New York Times bestseller How Democracies Die, Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt said that democracies today “may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders. Many government efforts to subvert democracy are ‘legal,’ in the sense that they are approved by the legislature or accepted by the courts. They may even be portrayed as efforts to improve democracy — making the judiciary more efficient, combating corruption, or cleaning up the electoral process.” Moreover, the two authors observe that those who denounce such legal threats to democracy are often “dismissed as exaggerating or
Monday was the 37th anniversary of former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s (蔣經國) death. Chiang — a son of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), who had implemented party-state rule and martial law in Taiwan — has a complicated legacy. Whether one looks at his time in power in a positive or negative light depends very much on who they are, and what their relationship with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is. Although toward the end of his life Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law and steered Taiwan onto the path of democratization, these changes were forced upon him by internal and external pressures,
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in the Legislative Yuan has made an internal decision to freeze NT$1.8 billion (US$54.7 million) of the indigenous submarine project’s NT$2 billion budget. This means that up to 90 percent of the budget cannot be utilized. It would only be accessible if the legislature agrees to lift the freeze sometime in the future. However, for Taiwan to construct its own submarines, it must rely on foreign support for several key pieces of equipment and technology. These foreign supporters would also be forced to endure significant pressure, infiltration and influence from Beijing. In other words,
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