Taiwan Featured for First Time at Riga Forum; Deputy Representative Chiang Ya-chi Shares Taiwan's Experience

(Central News Agency, Special Correspondent Yu-ju Yu, Vilnius, 4th) The 'Riga StratCom Dialogue' forum, organized by the Latvian think tank 'NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence', was held from the 3rd to the 4th. This year, for the first time, it featured a panel discussion themed on Taiwan. Deputy Representative of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Chiang Ya-chi, was invited as one of the speakers to share Taiwan's strategic communication thinking under the current international situation.

The 'NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence' is an international military organization composed of multiple nations and accredited by NATO. The 'Riga StratCom Dialogue' hosted by this center is a major international conference focusing on strategic communication, information warfare, and security issues, gathering representatives from governments, military, and academia from various countries each year to exchange trends.

This year's forum specially set up a session titled 'Taiwan: Strategic Communication under Tensions' for the first time, inviting Chiang Ya-chi, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan, and Oxford University Taiwan Studies Program Senior Researcher Ching Po-chun to discuss how Taiwan balances deterrence, diplomacy, and internal unity while demonstrating strength in maintaining peace under increasing pressure from China.

Chiang Ya-chi told CNA that during the Taiwan-themed session held on the 3rd, she first expressed deep gratitude for the organizer's arrangement. She stated that having Taiwanese individuals as keynote speakers at the forum itself conveys an important message, showing that Taiwan's experiences and perspectives are valued, and symbolizes connection and support in shared values and positions.

Secondly, in her speech, Chiang Ya-chi primarily explained to participants from various countries Taiwan's communication philosophy of 'Unity for Shared Prosperity'. She specifically cited three cases: First, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan built social trust and increased public compliance by holding daily press conferences to disclose pandemic information and answer media questions, which helped Taiwan maintain a relatively low mortality rate in the early stages of the pandemic, highlighting the importance of information transparency in a democratic society.

Second, she discussed TSMC's development history, pointing out that when resources were limited and the business model was unproven, Taiwan's 'mountain makers' still unwaveringly invested in the foundry industry. The key behind this was the belief that 'Taiwan must succeed', reflecting how conviction determines action and how self-positioning determines the direction of development.

Finally, Chiang Ya-chi also mentioned that 'Taiwan Travelogue' recently won the UK's 'International Booker Prize'. Quoting the acceptance speech of author Yang Shuang-zi at the award ceremony, she noted that literature may seem weak in the face of force, but literature always holds its ground and never gives up dialogue. She emphasized that in the context of strategic communication, while weapons can destroy things, what matters more is influencing people's hearts and influencing those who wield the weapons.

Responding to a question about what message Taiwan under threat wants to convey to the outside world, Chiang Ya-chi stated that Taiwan promotes 'Comprehensive Diplomacy', integrating forces from all levels of society and emphasizing a cooperative relationship of 'mutual benefit and shared prosperity' to achieve the goal of 'unity brings prosperity'. She stressed that maintaining the peaceful and stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait serves the interests of all parties, and Taiwan is not trying to change the status quo but is committed to becoming a trustworthy partner for the international community.

In her concluding remarks, Chiang Ya-chi quoted Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže's earlier remarks at a related meeting: 'The values of freedom and rights we cherish are worth fighting for.' This statement became a highlight of the event and was cited by the 'NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence' on its official social media platform. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150604