Taiwan’s Representative in Germany Klement Gu (谷瑞生) delivered opening remarks at the World Forum this Monday alongside United States Representative Nancy Pelosi and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, who both appeared via video. Approximately 30 other distinguished guests were present at the event and served as panelists alongside American and European lawmakers.

Representative Gu described the position Taiwan holds in the global supply chain as “crucial,” detailing that it produces more than 90% of AI servers and more than 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. Taiwan can share its experience in social defense resilience, Gu explained, given its confrontation with China’s gray-area intrusion and cognitive warfare, including 2.4 million cyberattacks daily and harassment by 4,000 aircraft and 2,500 warships annually. The representative stated Taiwan can serve as a model for “de-risking” as well, as its trade dependence on China has decreased from 50% to 30% while its economic growth rate is still projected to exceed 7%.

Romanian Chamber of Deputies Member Alexandru Muraru, who also serves as Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) co-chair, said Taiwan’s situation is similar to Ukraine’s with military and economic coercion. He added that if Taiwan were to fall to China, the global economy would collapse.

In her pre-recorded address, former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for protecting Taiwan and Ukraine, and emphasized the need for unwavering unity to defend democracy.

DPP Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) underscored the importance of Taiwan’s defense and noted the Legislature’s recent passage of a special budget to strengthen it. She called for more international support, saying it is necessary to face authoritarian regimes that invade democratic nations.

Taipei City Councillor Miao Poya (苗博雅) stated that Taiwan possesses the resolve to defend itself and will increase its defense budget from 3% to 5% of GDP. Miao stressed that other democratic nations’ firm stance will help deter Chinese ambitions to encroach upon Taiwan.

German European Parliament Member Lukas Sieper suggested experts and scholars visit Taiwan for exchanges and emphasized the importance of stronger defense capabilities.

In his closing remarks, Representative Gu expressed satisfaction with the increasing dialogue and discussion surrounding Taiwan and emphasized Taiwan’s willingness to work alongside democratic nations to address threats and contribute to global peace. Addressing the confrontation between democracy and authoritarianism, he said, “Yes, we can. We can make democracy great again.”