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Taiwan addresses freedom, democracy in row with China

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Daniel D. W. Tang, representative of the Taipei Mission in Korea, delivers a speech during a reception to celebrate Taiwan's National Day at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Oct. 7. / Taipei Mission in Korea
Daniel D. W. Tang, representative of the Taipei Mission in Korea, delivers a speech during a reception to celebrate Taiwan's National Day at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Oct. 7. / Taipei Mission in Korea

By Yi Whan-woo


Taiwan addressed its identity —based on freedom and democracy — as it celebrated its national day in Seoul last week under increasingly unfavorable diplomatic circumstances.

The anniversary of the Double Ten Day came after Kiribati and Solomon Islands severed ties with Taiwan and switched diplomatic recognition to mainland China in accordance with the latter's one-China policy.

This left Taiwan with just 15 allies, small and mostly impoverished, around the world.

The diminishing number of allies apparently poured cold water on the celebration of the Oct. 10 Wuchang Uprising of 1911, a revolt that brought down China's millennia-old monarchical system and led to the birth of the Republic of China (ROC), the official name of Taiwan, in January 1912.

This downward course of diplomacy was opposite from that of mainland China or the People's Republic of China (PRC), which celebrated its diplomatic coup under communist rule during the PRC's 70th founding anniversary, Oct. 1.

Against this backdrop, Daniel D. W. Tang, representative of the Taipei Mission in Korea, repeatedly mentioned freedom and democracy — values that are restricted in the PRC.

"Taiwan and Korea, both democracies in East Asia, have enjoyed a close interaction throughout history," Tang said during a reception, Oct. 7, to mark Taiwan's national day at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul.


Daniel D. W. Tang, representative of the Taipei Mission in Korea, fourth from left, and other dignitaries join a cake-cutting ceremony during a reception to celebrate Taiwan's National Day at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Oct. 7. / Taipei Mission in Korea
Daniel D. W. Tang, representative of the Taipei Mission in Korea, fourth from left, and other dignitaries join a cake-cutting ceremony during a reception to celebrate Taiwan's National Day at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Oct. 7. / Taipei Mission in Korea

Children perform during a reception to celebrate Taiwanese national day at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Oct. 7. / Taipei Mission in Korea
Children perform during a reception to celebrate Taiwanese national day at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Oct. 7. / Taipei Mission in Korea

He was joined by other foreign envoys here.


From the Korean side included Cho Kyoung-tae, the president of National Assembly's Korea-Taiwan Parliamentarian Friendship Association.

Tang noted this year marks the centenary of the Korean provisional government and that it received support from the ROC during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

He went to explain how the Taiwan-Korea friendship prospered after Korea's liberation, when the Kuomintang-led government of the ROC lost to communist forces and retreated to the island of Taiwan.

"After the Second World War, Taiwan and Korea continued to support each other and successfully democratized the societies and brought about economic development, becoming the regional role models for democracy and economic success," he said.

The bilateral trade volume amounts to $35.53 billion, with Korea being Taiwan's fifth-largest trading partner and Taiwan being Korea's sixth-largest trading partner.

In 2018, the combined number of visitors to each other's country surpassed 2.1 million, bringing the two countries' peoples closer.

"I hope we can continue to count on your staunch support to deepen the mutually beneficial ties built on the two countries' historical friendship and ongoing exchange," Tang said.

The reception offered a glimpse into Taiwan's efforts to grapple with sovereignty, such as a ROC national flag depicting the white sun and blue sky on a crimson red.

Tang was also often addressed as ambassador, a term the Embassy of China in Korea finds unacceptable along with the ROC national flag.

Taiwan's freedom and democracy, according to Tang, have been recognized internationally.

For instance, it is ranked 16th in the 2019 World Competitiveness Yearbook, an annual report issued by Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

It joined the top 10 among over 180 economies the 2019 Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal.

Freedom House, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, rated Taiwan as one of the freest countries in the world.

"Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded partners to further peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and defend the values of freedom, democracy and human rights," Tang said.

Yi Whan-woo yistory@koreatimes.co.kr


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