President Lai meets Israel-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group Chair Boaz Toporovsky

On the afternoon of September 16, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Israel-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group Chair Boaz Toporovsky. In remarks, President Lai thanked the Israeli Knesset (parliament) for staunchly backing Taiwan’s international participation. The president expressed hope that the two sides can together deepen collaboration in such areas as semiconductors, ICT, digital security, and emerging defense technologies, and jointly expand their presence in the global market to strengthen supply chain resilience for a more prosperous future.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

I extend a warm welcome to Chair Toporovsky, who is visiting Taiwan once again. Chair Toporovsky is an important advocate for the deepening of Taiwan-Israel relations. In addition to leading three cross-party delegations to Taiwan, in July he initiated a joint statement in the Knesset backing Taiwan’s international participation. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I would like to thank Chair Toporovsky and the distinguished members of the delegation for taking concrete action to demonstrate their staunch support.

There are many similarities between Taiwan and Israel. In dealing with complex geopolitical environments, we both deeply understand that national security cannot rely on military defense alone; the power of technology and innovation must also be harnessed so as to enhance overall national resilience. Taiwan and Israel hold regular dialogues on the economy, trade, technology, and agriculture. We have also signed 34 cooperation agreements and continue to deepen exchanges. In addition, through the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, Taiwan and Israel have provided further support for the global democratic community in such areas as the prevention of cross-border crime, as well as the digital economy and national security.

This Saturday, the Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee will hold an international forum, with Israeli organization Magen David Adom invited to share its experience in combat casualty care. This fully demonstrates how Taiwan and Israel are determined to jointly bolster societal resilience for the protection of people’s lives.

When serving as mayor of Tainan, I was invited to Israel to attend the International Mayors Conference. Israel is known as a nation of start-ups, and the diversity, innovation, and resilience I witnessed there left a lasting impression. As AI and other advanced technologies progress rapidly around the world, I hope Taiwan can utilize its advantage as a global semiconductor hub and learn from Israel’s experiences in start-up research and development. Together, we can deepen collaboration in such areas as semiconductors, ICT, digital security, and emerging defense technologies. Jointly expanding our presence in the global market, we can also strengthen supply chain resilience.

I once again welcome our guests to Taiwan. I look forward to more frequent exchanges and diverse cooperation between Taiwan and Israel as we join hands in building a more prosperous future.

Chair Toporovsky then delivered remarks, stating that it is an honor as the head of the Israel-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group to express the deep gratitude of the Israeli people and present the joint declaration to support democratic Taiwan’s participation in the international arena. He noted that the delegation represents the 72 members that signed the declaration, which is a majority of the members of the Knesset.

Chair Toporovsky continued on to say that he speaks with a painful heart, as 48 Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza. It has been 708 days since October 7, he said, and the families of the hostages continue to endure endless nights of pain and uncertainty. Saying that he and the delegation carry them in their hearts every moment, the chair stated that they have also come with great gratitude for the people of Taiwan, who have shown Israel the true meaning of friendship.

Chair Toporovsky stated that on October 7, the lives of the survivors were destroyed, and with Taiwan’s help, they are starting to rebuild their lives. One example, he noted, is a resilience center in Kibbutz Palmahim that Taiwan helped build, showing steadfast support. The center has already provided help to over 1000 survivors, he said. This is not only aid, the chair said, but humanity and friendship at their best, showing that Taiwan and Israel share more than mutual interests, but the same values of freedom, democracy, and human dignity.

Chair Toporovsky stated that in a world of uncertainty, we are proof that good people with great courage can stand tall together. He said that he and the delegation are confident that our partnership will only continue to grow stronger, noting that we can cooperate in technology, innovation, humanitarian efforts, and education, above all believing in justice and liberty. To close, the chair thanked Taiwan on behalf of the people of Israel for standing with them and for being a true ally, saying they will always remember their friends and expressing hope that our bond will grow stronger and stronger every day.

The delegation also included Members of the Knesset Michal Shir Segman, Debbie Biton, Shalom Danino, Eli Dallal, and Yael Ron Ben Moshe, and was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Representative of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei Maya Yaron.