Taiwanese Ambassador to Korea Liang Kuang-chung speaks during Taiwan's 113th National Day reception in Seoul, Oct. 8. Korea Times photo by Kim Hyun-bin

Liang Kuang-chung, Taiwan's ambassador to Korea, hosted the island nation's 113th National Day reception with an address emphasizing Taiwan's commitment to democracy, peace and international cooperation.

Reflecting on the recent presidential and legislative elections, Liang highlighted the Taiwanese people's dedication to democratic values.

"On Jan. 13 of this year, the people of Taiwan voted for President Lai Ching-te, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and the 11th Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan)," he said. "Through solid actions, Taiwanese people have again demonstrated great pride in their nation's democracy, as well as a firm adherence to democratic values and way of life."

Liang emphasized Taiwan's high ranking in the 2023 Democracy Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

"The 2023 Democracy Index ranks Taiwan 10th in the world and first in Asia. We understand that democracy does not come easily, having experienced a period of authoritarian rule," he said.

"In recent years, authoritarian countries have continued to use cyberattacks, cognitive warfare, disinformation and other techniques to expand digital authoritarianism and undermine democratic systems," he said. "Taiwan has rich experience in dealing with hybrid warfare and gray-zone activities. We will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with like-minded countries to jointly face these challenges."

Liang underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait for global security and called on like-minded countries including Korea to express strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the regional status quo by force. The envoy says Taiwan faces threats and infiltration from China and plans to implement a comprehensive action plan.

"We will actively implement the Four Pillars of Peace action plan: strengthened national defense, improved economic security, strengthened partnerships with democratic countries and stable and principled cross-strait leadership," he said. "Taiwan will endeavor to form a peaceful community with democratic countries that can demonstrate the strength of deterrence to prevent war and achieve our goal of peace through strength."

Liang highlighted Taiwan's economic strategies and goals under the Lai administration which revolves around semiconductors and AI.

"President Lai Ching-te's administration is taking a threefold approach to further Taiwan's economic development," he said. "We will promote Taiwan to become an 'AI island,' develop our strengths as a marine nation and support our enterprises to expand their global presence. We will continue to engage actively in regional economic integration and sign bilateral economic and trade-related agreements with like-minded countries."

Taiwan and Korea enjoy a robust trade relationship, with substantial bilateral trade and growing cooperation in various fields. Korea is Taiwan's fifth-largest trading partner, and Taiwan is Korea's sixth-largest. Last year, the total bilateral trade volume between Korea and Taiwan reached $46.6 billion.

"We look forward to speeding up the conclusion of the Bilateral Investment Agreement to deepen the bilateral trade and investment partnership," Liang said.

"Exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Korea have grown steadily in various fields. Last year, around 1.7 million Taiwanese and Koreans traveled to each other's countries. We believe the number of visitors may exceed 3 million in the near future. I am very glad that the people of Taiwan and Korea continue to enhance mutual understanding and friendship through positive two-way interactions."