Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan's de facto ambassador in Washington, told Newsmax Wednesday that Taiwan will "continue to build our economy to be a force for good," despite continuous harassment by China and the ever-present fear of invasion.
During an appearance on Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Hsiao said Beijing increasingly harasses the island nation with "fighter jets" and "a maritime presence around Taiwan," as well as "threatening language."
"Unfortunately and tragically, the threatening language has intensified in recent years; and that continues to be a reality that we have to face," she said. "I think our society has overcome very challenging circumstances for decades, including the termination of diplomatic ties with most major countries around the world; but we have overcome those challenges and created a full-fledged democracy.
"I think while we are dealing with very difficult threats to our existence, the people of Taiwan are also very resilient; and we intend to continue to carry on with our lives," Hsiao continued. "We intend to continue to build our economy to be a force for good in the world, despite these challenging circumstances."
While acknowledging that Taiwan needs "to do more to bolster our defenses," Hsiao said, "We can't let these threats define the way we live our lives.
"I think the people of Taiwan, while well aware of the external challenges we face, are very much preoccupied in making Taiwan a better society, in advancing our economic progress, in making friends with the world," she said.
When asked what help the United States can provide to the democratic island, Hsiao said there are "a number of areas we are working on."
"Of course, we will continue to build on the very strong defense partnership as codified in the Taiwan Relations Act," she said. "I think there are some policy deficiencies on the economic side. We would like to see more activity in terms of having a trade agreement. We're one of the few major trading partners of the United States without a bilateral trade agreement. We're working on that right now. We'd like to be treated fairly in terms of tax issues globally.
"We'd also like fair treatment in the international society, and that is allowing the people of Taiwan to have the freedom and the opportunities to contribute and participate in the international system," Hsiao added.
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