總統蔡英文投書美國《外交政策》全文

中華民國總統蔡英文（總統府提供）

【新唐人亞太台 2019 年 05 月 10 日訊】總統蔡英文9日投書美國《外交政策》（Foreign Policy），文章題為「臺灣自主發展的民主仍需美國的夥伴關係」。以下為總統蔡英文投書文章全文：

臺灣自主發展的民主仍需美國的夥伴關係

在日益黑暗中，自由燈塔的重要性更甚以往。

蔡英文撰　2019年5月9日上午7時

美國國會在1979年3月通過的《臺灣關係法》，在同年4月10日簽署完成立法，以因應卡特總統在當年1月與中華人民共和國建交、並與中華民國（臺灣）斷交的決定。當時，臺灣還不是民主國家，擁有1700萬人口，國內人均GDP為1,958美元，是在冷戰風暴中搖曳微光的蠟燭。

《臺灣關係法》要求美國致力維護西太平洋的和平、安全與穩定，更重要的是，界定了美國與臺灣互動的關係，並確保我國擁有足夠的防禦能力，得以不受脅迫。

在過去冷戰的時空背景下，沒有人想像得到臺灣會成為亞洲民主的燈塔。

臺灣人民透過擁抱民主價值觀，掌握了自身的命運。堅韌的臺灣人克服萬難，持續進步。

在民主夥伴美國的堅定支持下，臺灣人民將專制政權轉化為充滿活力的民主國家，並在1996年首度舉行總統直選，4年後政權和平轉移，進一步鞏固民主。2016年，臺灣打破玻璃天花板選出第一位女總統，而立法院的女性人數也破了紀錄。

臺灣也從受援國搖身變成高科技強國，擁有傑出的人力資源、以規範為基礎的市場、以及維護財產權的健全法律架構。臺灣現在是世界十大最自由的經濟體之一，也是美國許多企業在此區域及全球的重要夥伴。

我在3年前就職以來，臺灣和美國攜手努力促進宗教自由、媒體識讀、打擊貪腐等共同利益，捍衛我們在印太地區的共享價值。

20世紀給我們的教訓是，民主的進展不是從天而降。

過去40年來，許多美國國會議員及歷屆政府均恪遵《臺灣關係法》，使臺美夥伴關係無可取代，也捍衛這個區域免受日益激進的反民主勢力影響。臺美並肩合作，因為我們相信專制政權帶來的黑暗及恐懼無法抵擋民主光輝。

美國政府堅定不移，以決心和毅力回應我們的夥伴關係所面臨的挑戰。

美國國會也不斷展現跨黨派支持，以無異議方式通過《臺灣旅行法》加強對臺關係，證明了當年起草《臺灣關係法》的創意和承諾，至今仍存續於美國國會。

我們對民主和自由的共同承諾，是生活在專制政權下的人永遠無法理解的。第二次世界大戰後的國際秩序是以規範為基礎，面對接踵而來的挑戰，我們的夥伴關係較以往更加重要。

臺灣在20世紀的嚴酷挑戰下倖存下來並蓬勃發展，臺灣人民從不屈服專制政權的恫嚇，未來也不會。在此關鍵時刻，臺美慶祝並再度確認彼此的夥伴關係，期待為我們的成功故事開創新篇章。

身為這座民主燈塔的總統，在未來這幾年，我會全力為正義奮戰，繼續與夥伴們共同合作，為下一代打造更美好的世界與更自由開放的印太區域。

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蔡英文投書原文：

Taiwan’s Self-Made Democracy Still Needs U.S. Partnership

A beacon of freedom is more essential than ever amid growing darkness.

BY TSAI ING-WEN | MAY 9, 2019, 7:00 AM

On April 10, 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act was signed into law after being passed by the U.S. Congress the month before, in response to President Jimmy Carter’s decision in January 1979 to establish official relations with the People’s Republic of China and sever diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan). At the time, Taiwan was not yet a democracy, with a population of 17 million and a GDP per capita of $1,958―a flickering candle in the storm of the Cold War.

The Taiwan Relations Act mandates the U.S. commitment to peace, security, and stability in the Western Pacific. More important, it defines how the United States engages with Taiwan and ensures that our country has adequate defense capabilities to be free from coercion.

Against the backdrop of the Cold War, no one could have imagined that Taiwan would emerge as a beacon of democracy in Asia.

By embracing democratic values, the people of Taiwan took their fate into their own hands. The resilient Taiwanese defied all odds and kept making progress.

With steadfast support from our partner in democracy, the United States, the people of Taiwan transformed an authoritarian regime into a vibrant democracy and held their first direct presidential election by popular vote in 1996. Democratization was further consolidated four years later with a peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another. Then, in 2016, Taiwan broke through the glass ceiling by electing its first female president and a record number of women into the legislature.

Taiwan has also transformed itself from an aid recipient into a high-tech powerhouse featuring outstanding human capital, a rules-based market, and a sound legal framework that upholds property rights. Taiwan now ranks as one of the top 10 freest economies in the world and has become an important partner for many U.S. companies in the region and around the world.

Since I took office three years ago, Taiwan and the United States have stepped up our joint efforts to promote our mutual interests, such as religious freedom, media literacy, and fighting corruption, safeguarding our shared values in the Indo-Pacific region.

One lesson of the 20th century is that the forward march of democracy is not a given.

For the past 40 years, many members of Congress and successive U.S. administrations have honored the Taiwan Relations Act, making our partnership irreplaceable and shielding our region from increasingly aggressive anti-democratic forces. We stand together because we believe that the darkness and fear imposed by authoritarian regimes cannot withstand the light of democracy.

The U.S. government has stood firm and responded to challenges to our partnership with determination and perseverance.

The U.S. Congress has consistently demonstrated bipartisan support for stronger ties with Taiwan through legislation like the Taiwan Travel Act, proof that the creativity and commitment that created the Taiwan Relations Act are still alive in Congress today.

Our shared commitment to democracy and freedom is something that people living under authoritarian regimes can never understand. Faced with the growing challenges to the rules-based order established after World War II, our partnership is more important than ever.

Taiwan has survived and thrived under the most challenging circumstances of the 20th century. The people of Taiwan have not given in to the fearmongering of authoritarian regimes and never will. At this critical juncture, we celebrate and reaffirm our partnership with the United States and look forward to the next chapter in our success story.

As president of this beacon of democracy, I am committed to fighting the good fight. I will continue to work with our friends in the years ahead to create a better world for future generations and a more open and free Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Tsai Ing-wen is the President of Taiwan.

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