Motions

President of Taiwan

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. F. Pangallo:

That this council—

1. Congratulates Dr Lai Ching-te on his election as the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party to President of Taiwan, on 13 January 2024;

2. Joins with the Australian government, Australian opposition, state governments and governments around the world, including the US, the UK, the EU, Canada, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines, in congratulating Dr Lai Ching-te on his victory in the election;

3. Congratulates the people of Taiwan on the peaceful exercise of the democratic rights to ensure that the outcome truly represents the will of the people;

4. Notes that the smooth conduct of the elections and congratulations received from Australia and around the world are testament to the maturity and strength of Taiwan's democracy; and

5. Encourages South Australia to continue to work with Taiwan to advance our important trade and investment relationship, and to foster our deep and longstanding educational, scientific, cultural and people-to-people ties.

(Continued from 21 February 2024.)

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (17:27): I rise on behalf of the Greens to speak in support of this motion to congratulate Dr Lai Ching-te on his victory in the Taiwan elections. The people of Taiwan deserve to choose their own future, and self-determination is a fundamental human right. Taiwan takes its political freedom very seriously and is ranked highly in the areas of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, health care, public education and religion. Something that Taiwan has a real emphasis on is the idea that they are a free society. It is clear that Taiwan shares much in common with what we value here.

In particular, I want to highlight the progress Taiwan has made with regard to climate action and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As a member of the global village and in line with the Paris Agreement, Taiwan has actively encouraged all stakeholders to do their part and strengthen efforts towards reducing carbon emissions. Taiwan has passed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, under which five-year carbon reduction targets have been formulated. Taiwan has also created the National Climate Change Action Guidelines and implemented the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Action Plan, which targets six major sectors: energy, manufacturing, transportation, residential and commercial development, agriculture, and environmental management.

By setting emissions caps, promoting green finance initiatives, cultivating local talent pools and education, encouraging cooperation across central and local government agencies and of course industry, and involving the general public, Taiwan seeks to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to less than 50 per cent of 2005 levels.

In order to find a proper balance between economic development and environmental protection, Taiwan is also promoting the circular economy as part of the 5+2 Innovative Industries Plan. There is a widespread international consensus that the circular economy plays a vital role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Taiwan has already made significant progress over the past two decades in recycling and reusing resources. Today, Taiwan boasts a world-beating recycling rate of 55 per cent, and daily waste disposal has dropped drastically from 1.14 kilograms per person in 1998 to 0.4 kilograms per person by 2015. These certainly are real lessons we can learn from and use to help us meet our own emissions and waste reduction targets here in South Australia. To quote the former Minister of Environmental Protection Administration of Taiwan, Dr Lee Ying-yuan:

Climate change is a matter of our planet’s survival, and should not be reduced to a political issue. Taiwan has long been unfairly disregarded by and isolated from the United Nations system. This has not discouraged us. On the contrary, we have doubled our efforts based on our belief in the Confucian saying that 'a man of morality will never live in solitude; he will always attract companions.' In a professional, pragmatic, and constructive manner, Taiwan will seek meaningful participation in international organizations and events, and fulfill its responsibilities as a member of the international community.

No country should seek to interfere, undermine or subvert the democratic process any community undertakes to elect its leaders or choose its policies. Nearly 90 per cent of the Taiwanese community support the status quo, and all countries must respect that and not use Taiwan as a geopolitical wedge in a wider campaign.

I am grateful for the opportunity to recognise their world-leading work and look forward to us building stronger relationships with Taiwan in the future. With that, I commend the motion.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (17:31): I rise to speak on this motion and also speak on behalf of the Liberal Party in thanking the Hon. Frank Pangallo for moving this motion congratulating Dr Lai Ching-te on his successful election as the new President of Taiwan.

On 13 January 2024, Taiwan held its elections for its presidency and 113-seat legislature, which saw the Democratic Progressive Party elected for a record third consecutive term. Dr Lai Ching-te, who also goes by the name of William Lai, succeeds outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, having served under her as Vice-President during her eight years in office. Dr Lai will be officially sworn in as President of Taiwan during his inauguration on 20 May this year. His election marks the first time in Taiwan's history that a single political party has secured three consecutive terms in office.

We are very fortunate to be living in a democratic country like Australia. Some of the benefits of democracy that all honourable members would recognise and our citizens will value in Australia include that our society supports the development and wellbeing of individuals and their right to make their own choices. In this country opposing ideas are tolerated and respected; people listen to different points of view in parliament and society.

We have an inclusive and equitable society. People have freedom of speech, association, movement and belief. All our people enjoy the freedom to act, speak and think freely as long as it does not stop others doing the same. Everyone is equal before the law and must follow the law, including the people who make law, like legislators in this parliament. We enjoy a safe and secure community. In this country there is government that is transparent responsive and accountable to the people, and our people have the ability to hold elected representatives accountable.

These are fundamental values of our Australian democracy, and it is important that we have this opportunity through this motion to show our support to other international jurisdictions that hold these values that are close to our heart. These democratic beliefs and values have received and will always receive bipartisan support. I am glad to see the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issue a statement that reads:

Australia congratulates Dr Lai Ching-te on his victory in the Taiwan elections held on 13 January.

We also congratulate the people of Taiwan on the peaceful exercise of their democratic rights.

The smooth conduct of the elections is a testament to the maturity and strength of Taiwan's democracy.

Australia looks forward to continuing to work with Taiwan to advance our important trade and investment relationship, as well as our deep and longstanding educational, scientific, cultural and people-to-people ties.

These sentiments are, of course, openly shared by the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Peter Dutton, and Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, shadow minister for foreign affairs. I quote:

Australia shares the celebration of elections held in a peaceful and orderly manner which genuinely reflect the will of the people.

In addition to Australia, there has been extensive international support for Taiwan's election, including from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines.

I would like to now briefly speak on the relationship between Taiwan and Australia to highlight its importance. Taiwan was Australia's seventh largest two-way goods and services trading partner in 2022-23, worth $41.5 billion. Taiwan was Australia's sixth largest goods and services export market in 2022-23, worth $29.9 billion. Taiwan and Australia share a wide range of people-to-people links developed through business and tourism-related travels, academic exchanges and Australia's Working Holiday Maker scheme. In 2022-23, 15,374 people from Taiwan were granted a visa to come to Australia under the Working Holiday Maker program. In 2022, 8,676 Taiwanese students studied in Australia, making Australia Taiwan's second most popular destination for overseas studies.

The number of Taiwanese students in South Australia has grown to such an extent that the Formosa International Student Society was recently established at the University of South Australia in 2021. As shadow minister for tourism and hospitality, I have seen the growing number of visitors from Taiwan. The South Australian Tourism Commission's most recent report on international performance shows that visitor numbers from Taiwan into Australia have increased significantly, by 38 per cent for the year ending September 2023.

As shadow minister for multicultural South Australia, I mention the small but growing Taiwanese community in South Australia and their contributions to strengthening our diverse state. From the 2021 Census data, 1,739 people in South Australia were born in Taiwan, and more than a third of this group have migrated to South Australia recently during the 2016-2021 period. Many of them I have been fortunate to know as friends. This is a highly educated group which is strongly proficient in English, and relatively young. They have come to our shores with aspirations, with ambitions, and are highly capable of contributing to all aspects of our society.

I pay tribute to the Taiwanese Association of South Australia for their great work in serving the Taiwanese community in South Australia. I also make a quick mention of the Tzu Chi Charity Buddhist Foundation that was founded in 1966 by a Taiwanese Buddhist named Cheng Yen. I know that the Tzu Chi foundation in Adelaide has been doing great work in providing medical aid, disaster relief and environmental work as well.

On a personal note, one of my nieces spent a number of years studying in Taiwan in a technical college. I have personally travelled to Taiwan on two separate occasions. Honourable members who enjoy drinking bubble tea—which was called the tea and pearl milk tea—might like to know that it originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. With those remarks, once again, I would like to add my congratulations to Dr Lai Ching-te on his election and wish the new government every success. I commend the motion.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (17:39): I rise to support the honourable member's motion and offer my congratulations to Dr Lai Ching-te on his election as President of Taiwan. On 13 January, Dr Lai was elected as the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party to the presidency of Taiwan. As honourable members have highlighted, this is a matter of global significance and one which has rightly been acknowledged by our strong allies and democratic nations the US and the UK. I am pleased with the outpouring of support by our country's leaders and even more so by the combined support of our global community for Dr Lai's presidency.

Not only do I extend my congratulations to Dr Lai but also to the Taiwanese people for their determination and their will to fight for democracy, which truly attests to their maturity as a nation. We in Australia are fortunate to hold a representative government and representative leadership is certainly something that cannot be understated. The member's motion resounds our country's progressive approach to governance and our pride for democracy must be voiced nationally to encourage and support countries like Taiwan in taking steps towards enforcing democracy.

In June of last year, along with a number of honourable members in this place, I had the profound pleasure to travel to Taiwan and meet with many important figures, including the then Vice-President, Dr Lai. Dr Lai is not the troublemaker that some would depict him to be, rather, as I had the pleasure to observe, Dr Lai is an intelligent and welcoming representative whose focus is unwaveringly set on ensuring the prosperity of Taiwan and its democracy. Dr Lai's pledge to defend Taiwan's right to democracy and peace speaks directly to his approach to leadership and selflessness in the face of the existential threats that the Taiwanese people face.

There is no doubt that the president will lead the Taiwanese people through a period of great challenges. Like Dr Lai, I found the Taiwanese people to be a generous, resilient and steadfast peoples in their desire for peace and stability in the region. It is exactly these qualities that will surely see support for the newly elected president and allow Taiwan to emerge as the independent and economic powerhouse that it is in the face of political unrest. Dr Lai's dedication to public service remains true to Taiwan's desire for independence and fight to maintain a democracy.

As I have said before in this place, Australia and Taiwan's relationship goes beyond our relationship, politics, trade and investment to our fundamental doctrine for a nation that is resilient and proud of its culture. Let us here cherish and foster this connection for the future.

Along with my colleagues, I wish President Lai and the Taiwanese people the very best for the future and I will continue to offer support to Taiwan as they seek to exist peacefully in our global community. I thank the honourable member for bringing Dr Lai Ching-te's election to a motion. I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (17:42): I, too, stand in support of this motion from the Hon. Frank Pangallo in congratulating Dr Lai Ching-te on his election win as the President of Taiwan. Following on from the Hon. Frank Pangallo's sentiments, I was fortunate enough to visit Taiwan in June last year with the Hon. Reggie Martin, the Hon. Laura Henderson, the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, the Hon. Ben Hood and the Hon. Frank Pangallo.

There were many highlights on the trip, but as politicians for us it would be the opportunity to meet President Dr Lai, who at the time was Vice-President. The South Australian Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, which is co-chaired by the Hon. Laura Henderson and myself, issued a statement when Dr Lai was elected president, which read:

The South Australian Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group commends the people of Taiwan for their peaceful democratic elections held on 13 January 2024. This peaceful election demonstrates the maturity of the Taiwanese people and their democratic system.

We send our congratulations to all who participated in the election but especially to the newly elected President, Dr Lai Ching-te, and his Democratic Progressive Party on its re-election.

In our recent trip to Taiwan last year, the South Australian Parliamentary Friendship Group was fortunate to meet many political leaders from all parties, including President Dr Lai Ching-te. We look forward to continuing to build on our existing friendships and to further explore new opportunities for collaboration to further strengthen trade and investment opportunities for Taiwan and South Australia.

From my perspective, I found Dr Lai to be very down-to-earth and friendly. During our visit, Dr Lai was in the demanding position of Vice-President with a very busy workload. At the time, he was also campaigning hard to have his political party elected for a third term; however, Dr Lai was generous with his time and made sure he could personally greet us South Australian members of parliament—none of whom are ministers—which speaks volumes of his humbleness and welcoming spirit, which the Hon. Frank Pangallo also spoke about.

The reality is, as many honourable members know, when we go overseas not many people have heard much about Adelaide, South Australia. People overseas think Australia only has three cities: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. And so it is always a surprise to these people when you tell them about a hidden gem city called Adelaide.

The trip gave us all an opportunity to promote South Australia as a destination for tourism, education, agriculture and clean energy. We all individually emphasised these points when each of us were asked to speak. Once again, congratulations to President Dr Lai Ching-te, his Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim, and his team for winning central government for the third time, and to the Taiwanese people for a peaceful election.

To conclude, I would like to thank Mr Lu Ming-Tse, or as he likes to be called, Ray, a director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Melbourne, and his staffer Mr Kuo Shih-Chun, for their support in organising our trip to Taiwan. Ray has previously worked in parliament for the central government, and certainly showed us his vast networking skills. He was able to organise for our delegation to meet with various high-profile members of parliament, ministers and mayors from various cities.

As honourable members may not know, each city in Taiwan is like a state in Australia, so the Taiwanese mayors have a role equivalent to the role of a premier in Australia. For Ray to successfully convene meetings with then Vice-President Dr Lai, while we were touring the presidential palace, is indicative of his influence and the connections he has nurtured and maintained in Taiwan.

Finally, I want to thank my parliamentary colleagues in this place who came on the trip. Although we all come from various political parties, we all worked together as Team South Australia, promoting our beautiful homeland as we travelled together. With Dr Lai as President, with Ray's skilful liaising, I am hopeful that Taiwan and South Australia's relationship will continue to flourish as new opportunities for both our nations to prosper and grow are explored.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (17:48): I would like to thank the honourable members—the Hon. Tammy Franks, the Hon. Jing Lee, the Hon. Ben Hood, and the Hon. Tung Ngo, who led our delegation to Taipei—for their considered and enthusiastic support for the democratic process in Taiwan, recognising also the importance of the Republic of China, Taiwan's place in the world economy and our own bilateral interests, and also for extending their warmest congratulations to Dr Lai Ching-te. As the Hon. Tung Ngo and the Hon. Ben Hood have mentioned, we met with Dr Ching-te when we were in Taipei. He certainly impressed us as a leader, and I look forward to his inauguration.

I also point out that recently the European parliament adopted two resolutions on the same day, stressing that neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other, and that only Taiwan's democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people on the international stage. This is a significant move and goes a lot further than Australia has ever gone in its recognition of Taiwan.

These motions were passed overwhelmingly by the European parliament—338 for one and 350 votes for the other. Both resolutions strongly condemn China's attempts to unilaterally change the status quo and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, while also reiterating the European parliament's staunch support for Taiwan's international participation, bilateral trade and investment and recognising the significant role it plays in global supply chains.

The resolutions denounced statements by the Chinese President that China will never renounce the right to use force over Taiwan, strongly condemned China's continued military provocations against Taiwan and denounced China's blocking of Taiwan's participation in multilateral organisations. Interestingly, after Taiwan's recent transparent and fair elections, China announced the unilateral cancellation of the six nautical mile westward deviation of the M503 route's southbound flight and the activation of the W122 and W123 routes for eastbound operations that were effective from 1 February 2024.

China's attempts to change the status quo of Taiwan Strait only served to destabilise the Indo-Pacific. Finally, it is also noteworthy to point out that Taiwan shines as the second freest country in Asia and seventh worldwide, according to the 2024 Freedom in the World report by Freedom House. Taiwan earned a stellar score of 94 out of 100 for its dedication to protecting civil liberties. Despite external pressures, Taiwan stands strong in defending freedoms against attempts to influence their democracy. So let us keep Taiwan free. In closing, can I say: xin lai Taiwan—trust Taiwan, trust William Lai.

Motion carried.