President Lai Ching-te meets with a Canadian parliamentary delegation.
President Lai delivers remarks.
President Lai meets with a Canadian parliamentary delegation.
President Lai poses for a photo with a Canadian parliamentary delegation.
On the afternoon of January 13, President Lai Ching-te met with a Canadian parliamentary delegation. In remarks, President Lai thanked the Canadian parliament for its staunch, long-term support for Taiwan. The president noted that in recent years, cooperation between Taiwan and Canada in such areas as the economy and trade, technology, and maritime affairs has yielded substantial results. He expressed hope that Taiwan will continue to work hand in hand with Canada while coming together in solidarity and cooperating with democracies around the world to safeguard such universal values as freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a sincere welcome to you all. As we begin 2026, it is a great pleasure to meet with parliamentarians from Canada, who have traveled a long way to be with us. In particular, I remember meeting with Member of Parliament Melissa Lantsman, the leader of the delegation, during her visit to Taiwan in 2023. I am delighted to see you again.
I would like to thank the Canadian parliament for its staunch, long-term support for Taiwan. Many Canadian MPs took part in the publication of the parliament’s report on Taiwan-Canada relations and its 18 recommendations urging the government of Canada to strengthen ties with Taiwan. They have also supported Taiwan’s international participation and have pushed back against China’s distortion of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758. All of these actions have left a very deep impression.
Not long ago, China held large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, unilaterally escalating regional tensions. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Canadian government for issuing a statement expressing its concern and opposing any unilateral attempt to change the status quo. This once again demonstrates that maintaining the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is not only in the interest of all parties but is also the consensus of the international community.
Over the past three years, Taiwan and Canada have made concrete progress in such areas as the economy and trade, technology, and maritime affairs. This has included the signing of the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and the Science, Technology, and Innovation Arrangement. Bilateral relations continue to deepen and yield substantial results. Our economies and industries are highly complementary. As the world enters the new era of AI, we look forward to further advancing economic and trade collaboration. In particular, the signing of a bilateral trade cooperation framework agreement at the earliest possible juncture would do much to benefit the industries and peoples of our nations.
Confronted by China’s military threats against neighboring countries, we deeply believe that peace is priceless, and war has no winners; we stand firm by the principle of peace through strength; and we are taking concrete action, demonstrating to the world Taiwan’s resolve for self-defense. Last year, I announced that Taiwan’s defense spending, as defined by NATO, would reach 3.32 percent of GDP this year – an unprecedented high. And we expect to increase this to 5 percent by 2030. In addition, Taiwan looks forward to coming together in solidarity and cooperating with democracies around the world to safeguard such universal values as freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights.
I once again welcome you all to Taiwan and wish you a successful trip. May the friendship between Taiwan and Canada grow even deeper and stronger.
Member of Parliament Lantsman then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai and the administration for welcoming them and mentioning that it is a pleasure to return to Taiwan and meet with the president. She said that their parliamentary delegation values Taiwan as a trusted, indispensable partner, an innovative economy, a resilient democracy, and a free society that contributes meaningfully to the global community, despite persistent efforts to exclude or isolate it.
Member of Parliament Lantsman stated that the delegation is here with a clear purpose, that is, to say to Taiwan and the people of Taiwan that they have friends in the Canadian parliament, and to listen, learn from Taiwan’s experience, and ask how they can do more practically, constructively, and consistently to support Taiwan and deepen our cooperation.
Member of Parliament Lantsman said that she sees significant opportunities to strengthen collaboration on trade, energy security, supply chain resilience, advanced manufacturing, innovation, and people-to-people ties. Expressing their belief that Taiwan should be able to participate in international forums, she said that such participation should reflect real expertise and real contributions, not the political veto of an authoritarian power that fears transparency and freedom around the world.
Member of Parliament Lantsman pointed out that there are many within the House of Commons across party lines who have advocated for many years for the strengthening of the partnership with Taiwan. She added that they have all been deeply concerned by the growing threats both our societies face from transnational repression, from coercive economic practices, and from state-directed disinformation campaigns. She noted that these are not abstract challenges – these are deliberate strategies used to intimidate democracies, silence critics, and distort public debate, and they welcome closer cooperation with Taiwan and with civil society in Taiwan to expose and counter these threats wherever they may occur.
Member of Parliament Lantsman stated that they also recognize the intensified and aggressive authoritarian pressure that Taiwan faces beyond its borders, and that Canada rejects the normalization of intimidation, military coercion, and attempts to rewrite international norms through force. They believe, she emphasized, that economic, institutional, and societal resilience is built through strong partnerships that are also grounded in freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.
Member of Parliament Lantsman said that this visit reflects the belief that engagement, dialogue, and consistency matter, and that parliamentary relationships play a very critical role. She said that they look forward to a very fruitful conversation and to hearing about where Canadian support can be most useful, credible, and effective, and in closing mentioned that she looks forward to a future where the better days are ahead in a relationship that grows.
The delegation also included Members of Parliament Adam Chambers and Shelby Kramp-Neuman.
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