The National Day Convention was held this morning (10th). President Lai Ching-te delivered a speech titled "Taiwan, a city on a hill, salt on the ground, light in the world." According to statistics, the full text of the speech is about 4,450 words, with "Taiwan" mentioned 42 times, "Republic of China" 2 times, and "Taiwan, Republic of China" never mentioned again.
This year marks the third year since President Lai took office that he has delivered a National Day speech. The speech focuses on three main axes, including explaining how to allow all people to share economic results, facing changes in the international situation and geopolitical challenges with a confident and firm attitude, and explaining Taiwan's role in strengthening self-defense and actively contributing to the international community.
Please read on...
Looking back at the National Day speech "Unite Taiwan and Fulfill the Dream" delivered by Lai Ching-te for the first time, it was nearly 3,500 words, and mentioned "Taiwan" 44 times, "Republic of China" 8 times, and "Taiwan, the Republic of China" twice. Last year's National Day speech was about 4,400 words long, mentioning "Taiwan" 51 times, "Republic of China" twice, and "Taiwan, the Republic of China" twice.
The full text of President Lai’s speech is as follows:
President Han Kuo-yu, Vice President Hsiao Meiqin, President Zhuo Rongtai of the Executive Yuan, His Majesty King Enshwati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Her Royal Highness Princess Zuma, President Keiji Furuya of the "Japan-Taiwan Friendship Parliamentarians Alliance", heads of celebration delegations from friendly countries and friendly countries, envoys from various countries in Taiwan, distinguished guests at home and abroad, and compatriots who are here and watching TV and live broadcasts, hello everyone!
Today, we gather in front of the Presidential Palace to celebrate the National Day of the Republic of China, cheer for Taiwan, and wish our country a happy birthday and a prosperous national destiny!
At this moment, no matter we are in Taiwan or in different corners of the world; no matter we are from different generations, different professions, or hold different political stances, we are all based on the same Taiwan; we also share the responsibility to make our country safer, society more stable, people's lives better, and let the next generation be full of hope for the future.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s direct presidential election. Thirty years ago, in the face of missile threats, the Taiwanese people still bravely walked into the voting booths, fulfilling the Taiwanese people's century-old pursuit of "being the masters of the country" and using their votes to tell the world: The masters of this country are the people; Taiwan's future must be decided by the Taiwanese people themselves.
Over the past 30 years, we have gone through democratic transformation, experienced changes in political parties, and faced many challenges. Today, we are even more convinced that liberal democracy and economic development will not run counter to each other. The more Taiwan embraces democracy and opens up to the world, the more it will create prosperity and the more capable it will be of contributing to the world.
The world has not been peaceful in the past year. War and authoritarianism continue to expand, and the global economy faces multiple challenges from tariffs, energy and red supply chains. However, Taiwan has not retreated. Instead, it has stood firm amid the changes, demonstrating its proud resilience.
Just like Taiwanese athletes performed brilliantly in the Asian Games. Yu Kaiwen and Huang Shiyuan won the first gold medal ball by ball on the soft tennis court; Wang Guanhong broke through the waves in the swimming pool and swam beyond our 28-year expectations; and Fu Zhaoxuan jumped into the air in the heavy rain, achieving the most glorious moment in the 60 years of track and field. Lin Yuting lived up to her expectations and won the gold medal for two consecutive years. Xie Shuwei and Liang Enshuo, Zhan Haoqing and Wu Fangxian even won the women's tennis doubles gold medal and silver medal. Thank you for letting the world see Taiwan's resilience and pride.
Thanks to the hard work of various industries, the economic performance is also very impressive. This year, in the first half of the year alone, the latest economic growth rate reached 14.15%. The full-year economic growth rate is expected to exceed 11%, setting a 39-year high; this year, our per capita GDP is also expected to reach US$45,332, almost twice that of 2016. Our Taiwan Stock Index has reached 49,000 points, making it the fourth largest stock market in the world.
In diplomacy, Taiwan is also moving further step by step.
This year, I went to the Kingdom of Eswatini for a state visit. I would like to thank His Majesty King Swatini III for the warm reception, as well as Her Majesty the Queen Mother and the people of the country for their warm welcome. I witnessed the cooperation between the two sides in energy, agriculture, medical care, women's empowerment, education and culture; Vice President Hsiao Meiqin visited Palau to deepen the achievements in medical care, agriculture and fisheries, infrastructure and sustainable tourism. She was also invited to Italy to attend the Ventotene European Forum on Freedom and Democracy, allowing Taiwan's voice to be heard by the world at an important venue symbolizing European freedom and democracy.
In this year's world competitiveness rankings of the Ecole Management School in Lausanne, Switzerland, Taiwan ranked among the best in "economic performance," "government effectiveness," "corporate effectiveness," and "infrastructure." It became the fourth most competitive country in the world in one fell swoop, achieving its best performance ever.
These achievements undoubtedly belong to the 23 million Taiwanese people; they are also the result of the hard work of the government, together with countless Taiwanese people, regardless of field, and their hard work. I would like to invite all compatriots to applaud myself with warm applause again.
In an era of war, authoritarian expansion, and rapid changes in the global order, what kind of country should Taiwan become?
My answer is: build a "city on a hill" bravely and confidently!
This is not a compliment to ourselves, but our expectations for the country's future and a responsibility that Taiwan is willing to shoulder.
Dear compatriots, a city on a mountain is built on the mountains that protect the country. It is a beautiful result of democratic governance, allowing the people to live with peace of mind on a solid foundation. Therefore, a city on a mountain must not only have a dazzling skyline, but also have a solid foundation.
The foundation of Taiwan is the lives of its people. Whether a country is progressing cannot only depend on output value and exports, but also whether labor benefits have improved, whether family burdens have been reduced, whether elders are taken care of, and whether young people believe that hard work can create a better future.
Therefore, we govern with pragmatism, promote salary increases, tax cuts, welfare benefits, and reduce burdens, so that everyone in this country can stand firm and live well.
In the face of the declining number of children, the government has proposed the "Taiwan Population Countermeasures New Strategy—Family Support" based on the "national support for children aged 0 to 6 years old". From childbirth, parenting to education, we will increase subsidies, reduce burdens, increase flexibility, and increase care to establish more complete family support.
We plan to promote a growth allowance of 5,000 yuan per child per month starting next year, combined with maternity benefits, artificial reproduction subsidies, affordable childcare, friendly workplaces and marriage and childcare housing, so that work and family will no longer become a difficult choice for young people.
Raising children should not be a family effort alone. Supporting a family is protecting Taiwan's future.
Facing a super-aging society, we are promoting "Healthy Taiwan", ranging from cancer screening, smart medical care, and home care, to improving the medical working environment and nursing manpower, so that Chinese people can not only live longer, but also live healthier.
Long-term Care 3.0, which is on the road this year, further integrates medical care, social welfare, community and technology, allowing the elderly to receive care in a familiar life circle, and also providing the sandwich generation with more support and less hardship.
In the face of housing pressure, we continue to promote the "Millions of Rental Households Support Plan" to increase supply through multiple methods such as direct construction of social housing, leasing and hosting, rent subsidies, urban renewal rebates and volume incentives. We have also increased the proportion of housing for marriages and children, implemented Qing'an 3.0, and increased the loan limit for families with marriages and children. Only by living in peace can we have a happy career, and only by living in peace can young people be brave enough to start a family and pursue their dreams.
In the face of labor shortages and talent shortages, we have promoted the "Transnational Workforce Enhancement Plan", insisting on domestic labor as the mainstay and transnational labor as the supplement, hiring additional manpower in conjunction with salary increases, relaxing restrictions on the retention of senior migrant workers who transfer to technical manpower, and promoting country-to-country direct hiring.
We have also amended the "Foreign Professional Talents Recruitment and Employment Act" to expand opportunities for international talents and foreign students to come and stay in Taiwan. Let enterprises supplement their manpower, and let workers improve their remuneration; let talents be willing to come and stay.
Social security is also the unshakable foundation of this city on a hill.
In the face of fraud, we have designated the Executive Yuan's Anti-Fraud Command Center as a permanent task force, integrating internal affairs, legal affairs, data and financial supervision forces, and linking prosecutors, finance and platform operators to block the criminal chain from advertising, communications, accounts to cash flow.
In the face of drugs and drug-driving, the government continues to promote the "New Generation Anti-Drug Strategy Action Plan" to strengthen anti-drug detection, drug testing, drug treatment and drug recognition, trace the source of drugs upwards, and use saliva drug rapid screening to strengthen road inspections to immediately prevent dangerous driving. The government must protect the property that people have worked hard to accumulate and the precious lives of every family.
The government is also actively promoting amendments to the law. First-time drug-driving offenders will be fined up to RMB 150,000; those who refuse to take a test will be fined RMB 270,000; there is no upper limit on fines for repeat offenders, and their driver's licenses will be revoked and the vehicle will be forcibly confiscated. Passengers in the same car will also be jointly and severally fined. The government will strictly enforce the law and will never restrict loans.
Facing energy and climate challenges, we aim to achieve stable power supply, energy security and net-zero transformation, and promote the construction of diversified green energy, energy storage, energy conservation and grid resilience. We will also pragmatically evaluate various energy options based on scientific evidence, legal procedures and safety standards.
Energy policy cannot be based on slogans, but must be based on safety, professionalism and responsibility; we will not rule out options for ideology, nor will we sacrifice generational sustainability for short-term interests.
The height of the city on the mountain is not declared by the government itself, but built layer by layer by the people's lives. We want the world to see that democracy not only has freedom of choice, but also has the ability to solve problems and take care of the people.
My fellow countrymen, the city on the mountain must be impregnable and the people must be united as one, which is the key force to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Just like salt, although it is tiny, it can harmonize various flavors, preserve food and preserve it fresh. Taiwan is a small country, but we protect democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, and do not allow authoritarianism to erode precious universal values.
We do not seek hegemony, nor do we seek to dominate others. We are well aware of the cost of conflict, so we have chosen to uphold peace as our mission and be a trustworthy stabilizing force for the international community.
However, peace cannot be based on wishes alone, and tolerance cannot be a reason for the aggressor to push forward.
China continues to exert pressure through military and gray zone operations in an attempt to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. In the face of authoritarian expansion, Taiwan's persistence is not only related to its own survival, but also to whether the international community still believes that force cannot override rules, and power cannot deprive the people of their right to determine the future.
Therefore, we continue to promote national defense reform, strengthen asymmetric combat capabilities, develop independent national defense industries, and transform our advantages in semiconductors, information communications, and precision manufacturing into the power to protect the country.
We have also prepared for the defense resilience of the whole society, integrating central, local and private energy to enhance the sustainable operation capabilities of energy, communications, transportation, finance, food and medical care. Let society be able to operate stably when a crisis comes, and people know how to protect themselves and help each other.
I would like to thank all the officers and soldiers of the People's Republic of China, reservists, police, fire fighters, medical staff, civil defense, and the Chinese people who participated in the exercise. Every time you make serious preparations, you build an extra line of defense for Taiwan's peace.
Our increase in defense investment is not to provoke, but to deter war; our strengthening of self-defense is not to give up on dialogue, but to ensure that dialogue can be conducted on the basis of reciprocity and dignity.
We are happy to see the United States and China manage competition through dialogue and reduce the risk of conflict and war. However, we must also point out that to maintain regional security, peace and stability, we must not only correctly understand historical development and never allow distortion of the history of World War II, but also respect the right of the Taiwanese people to survive. We must also combine the common strength of democratic countries in the Indo-Pacific region to prevent the status quo of regional peace and stability from being changed.
Taiwan cherishes peace, but will not give up freedom; Taiwan is willing to communicate, but will not accept being dwarfed.
Taiwan has demonstrated its determination not to let authoritarianism erode democracy, not to let fear replace freedom, and to take firm and responsible actions to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific.
My fellow citizens, the gates of the city on the mountain must be freely open to the world, allowing the light of the world to enter the city; the light in the city should bring hope to the world through innovation, equality and kindness.
Light not only illuminates oneself, but also allows others to see the direction. Taiwan’s light comes from the wisdom and diligence of its people, from the innovation of its industries, and from our willingness to share our achievements with the world.
From traditional industries to advanced semiconductors, Taiwan has used its strength to prove that an island with limited resources can become an indispensable force for global prosperity.
But we will not stop at today’s achievements. The Executive Yuan is accelerating the promotion of 13 core strategic industries, covering the five trustworthy industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, military industry, security control, and next-generation communications; as well as the three core technologies focused on the new top ten AI construction projects such as silicon photonics, quantum computing, and robotics, as well as key minerals, biotechnology and medical care , Asian asset management center, basic public construction and urban renewal, cultural creativity, and trillion-dollar tourism to ensure Taiwan's competitive advantage for the next generation; it also provides financing, talent training, digital transformation, net-zero upgrades, and international channel support through a multi-revitalization and development plan for small, medium and micro enterprises worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
If the technology industry continues to move forward, it must also bring traditional industries with it; if leading companies want to go global, they must also drive the supply chain to take root in Taiwan. Taiwan cannot have just one sacred mountain that protects the country, but must have hundreds of industries and industries work together to form mountains that protect the country.
The light of the economy must also shine into people's lives. We have raised the minimum wage for 11 consecutive years. We have raised the salary of the military, public education and education five times in the past 10 years. We have also raised professional and supervisory bonuses this year. Through salary increase incentives and social support, growth is transformed into better benefits and less burdens. We also plan to provide a universal payment of 10,000 yuan per person on the basis of stable finances; an allowance for old farmers is 10,000 yuan per person per month, and the national annuity is 5,000 yuan per person per month; and the six major social welfare subsidies for disadvantaged families have also been comprehensively increased, so that all people can share the fruits of economic development.
Taiwan’s light comes not only from technology, but also from how we treat everyone.
Taiwan is the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. We must continue to promote gender equality so that everyone can live with dignity and pursue happiness freely without being excluded based on gender, ethnicity, background or identity.
Internationally, we respond to the needs of our partners through cooperation in medical care, agriculture, energy, technology, education and sustainable development. Taiwan's professionalism and goodwill are turned into practical actions to improve lives.
"Taiwan Can Help" is not a slogan, but our commitment to share our capabilities and take responsibility. Taiwan's light must cross national borders and let more people in need feel warmth and hope.
Dear compatriots, in the near future, we will usher in the nine-in-one local elections. It is our common responsibility to select the talented and capable without threats or inducements. Political parties can compete and have different opinions, but the Taiwan we are based on should not be divided because of this.
A city on a hill shines not because there are no differences, but because even if we have different opinions, we still respect each other, believe in the system, and are willing to work together to protect the country.
The power of the president comes from the trust of the people; the responsibility of the president is to gather strength and lead the country forward.
I will build a city on a hill with pragmatic governance; I will become the salt that protects peace with my firm democracy and defense power; I will become the light that warms the world with innovation, equality and kindness.
My fellow compatriots, let us unite together for Taiwan in the next 30 years:
Lay a stronger foundation,
A stronger competitive advantage,
Let the next generation stand firmer and go further.
Come on, Republic of China! Come on Taiwan!
Thank you all.
