Tsai Ing-wen Attends Summit in Italy; Lawmaker Says Strategy Deepens European Ties

Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has attended the Global Summit of Women Leaders in Italy, engaging with various international female leaders, including former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The summit addressed critical global issues such as digital technology, artificial intelligence, climate change, and the international order.

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This summit brings together women leaders from different generations and countries. We jointly discuss important issues such as digital technology, artificial intelligence, climate change, and the international order, and share how women leaders can respond to common challenges facing the world through cross-national and cross-generational cooperation.

According to Democratic Progressive Party legislator Wu Si-yao, Tsai's attendance, her fourth visit to Europe since leaving office, along with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's earlier engagement at the European Parliament, highlights Taiwan's significantly elevated diplomatic standing. Wu emphasized that these interactions, occurring outside formal diplomatic channels, are part of a "divide and conquer" strategy, working in tandem with President Lai Ching-te's official diplomatic efforts to deepen Taiwan's relationships with European nations.

Wu noted that it was historically difficult for high-level Taiwanese figures to visit major Western European countries. However, the recent engagements, including Hsiao Bi-khim's speech at the annual meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and Tsai's multiple European visits, indicate that European countries increasingly view Taiwan as a vital "substantive democratic ally" against authoritarian expansion.

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From Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim entering the European Parliament last year to Tsai Ing-wen visiting Europe four times after leaving office, it shows that Taiwan's status in the democratic alliance has greatly improved.

Tsai was notably positioned in a prominent spot at the summit alongside Hillary Clinton, engaging with influential female leaders and parliamentarians. This interaction directly connected Taiwan's democratic resilience and its perspectives on global issues like tech governance and AI with key international decision-making circles, positioning Taiwan as a sought-after partner for European nations.

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Taiwan's democratic resilience and its public issues such as global technology governance and AI are directly connected to the core of international decision-making, making Taiwan a key partner that European countries are vying to cooperate with.