Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) this Tuesday said Taiwan aims to be a reliable global partner in advancing sustainability as the world faces mounting geopolitical tensions, energy challenges, and climate risks.

Speaking at a meeting for the 2026 Earth Solutions initiative, Hsiao said overlapping pressures including aging populations, low birth rates, and extreme weather are increasingly affecting daily life and testing societal resilience. She noted a persistent gap between public support for sustainability and concrete action, saying many people desire stable, sustainable lives, but fewer take steps to achieve them.

The vice president said Taiwan’s resilience has been shaped by decades of responding to natural disasters, global health crises, and external pressures. She pointed out that building on that foundation, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has launched three national-level committees focused on whole-of-society defense resilience, public health, and climate strategy.

In an interview, Hsiao said, “Of course, on the path to sustainability, Taiwan is definitely a partner the world can trust. In 2025 we began implementing carbon pricing, fully launching the second energy transition, especially actively developing diversified green energy, deep energy conservation, and actively introducing smart energy storage and disaster-resistant power grids.”

Taiwan will also leverage its strengths in technology and artificial intelligence to drive digital and net-zero transitions, Hsiao said, emphasizing that innovation should focus on delivering practical solutions. Sustainability, she added, depends on partnerships across sectors and borders.