The Taipei Mission in Korea marked Taiwan’s 114th National Day on Friday, highlighting the island’s 'integrated diplomacy' rooted in shared democratic values with South Korea.
Taiwanese National Day, also known as Double Ten Day, commemorates the 1911 Wuchang Uprising that led to the fall of China’s Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912.
Speaking at the event, Gow-wei Chiou, representative of the Taipei Mission in Korea, described Taiwan’s new diplomatic approach under President Lai Ching-te as a "values-driven framework based on democracy, alliances and the economy."
The initiative aims to position Taiwan as a dynamic leader in the global economy.
“Through establishing its role in three strategic chains — the democratic values chain, the 'first island' chain in the Indo-Pacific region, and the 'non-red' supply chain — Taiwan seeks to strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries, including the Republic of Korea,” said Chiou, referring to South Korea by its official name.
“The safer Taiwan is, the safer the world becomes,” he said, reaffirming joint efforts for security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Chiou also highlighted bilateral trade between Taiwan and Korea, which reached $64.5 billion in 2024 and made Korea Taiwan’s fourth-largest trading partner.
“The high bandwidth memory chips produced by Korea’s SK hynix are manufactured in partnership with Taiwan’s TSMC. Together with Japan, our three nations form a mutually complementary semiconductor ecosystem,” he said.
Chiou said Taiwan, despite pressures from authoritarian powers, remains a "force for good" through value-based diplomacy, democratic alliances, and the Four-Pillar Peace Action Plan, highlighting President Lai’s initiative to build a resilient "global democratic semiconductor supply chain" and an "international 'flying geese' alliance."
The event was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, the Taiwanese community members, Rep. Lee Jun-seok, President of the minor conservative Reform Party, Korean business leaders, foreign residents, academia, nongovernmental organizations and the media.
sanjaykumar@heraldcorp.com
