Taiwanese president cites Israel as model of defense against China, praises Israel’s ‘David vs. Goliath’ spirit

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te this week praised Israel as a model for Taiwan’s own defense against China. Speaking on Monday night at a dinner in Taiwan, hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Lai elaborated on how the Taiwanese people often look to Israel for inspiration.

“The Taiwanese people often look to the example of the Jewish people when facing challenges to our international standing and threats to our sovereignty from China. The people of Taiwan have never become discouraged,” Lai Ching-te said, specifically noting the biblical spirit of David against Goliath as a source of inspiration for the Taiwanese nation.

“Israel's determination and capacity to defend its territory provides a valuable model for Taiwan,” he continued. “I have always believed that Taiwan needs to channel the spirit of David against Goliath in standing up to authoritarian coercion.”

Unlike so many other countries that turned against Israel after the Hamas invasion and massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, Taiwan has been a strong supporter of the Jewish state during the ensuing war.

Taiwan has shown support for Israel even though the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations, as Israel – like most other nations – has acquiesced to China’s demand to uphold the “One China” policy. Under this policy, Taiwan is considered an inalienable part of China.

Taiwan maintains a de facto embassy in Tel Aviv, while Israel operates a similar representative office in Taipei.

Taiwan announced a new multi-layered air defense system, known as “T-Dome,” designed to protect the island against a potential future attack by Beijing. During the AIPAC meeting, President Lai Ching-te said the T-Dome was inspired by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump's “Golden Dome” missile defense shield.

“I believe that trilateral Taiwan-U.S.-Israel cooperation can help achieve regional peace, stability, and prosperity,” he added.

Taiwan has reportedly been taking notes from Israel’s handling of the Iranian threat this past summer.

In July, Taiwan’s representative to Israel, Ambassador Abby Ya-Ping Lee, said she believed that Israel’s Operation Rising Lion offered valuable lessons for Taiwan as it defends itself against the Chinese superpower. 

“I have been sharing all the firsthand information on the ground here back to Taiwan. There are a lot of critical and valuable lessons for Taiwan to learn from the 12-day war,” Lee said.

“Taiwan has been living under hybrid threats from China for decades, and in recent years, Beijing has stepped up the coercion and intimidation to incorporate Taiwan by force. So there is a sense of urgency for everyone in Taiwan to strengthen our defense capabilities and the whole of societal resilience,” she added. 

Last month, ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg interviewed Ambassador Ya-Ping Lee about the implications of China’s expanding geostrategic ambitions. She told him that Taiwan and Israel complement each other in their shared fight against terrorism and totalitarianism.

“The people of Israel know that Taiwan and Israel are standing on the front line to defend [against] the expansion of authoritarian regimes, of totalitarianism and terrorism. When those axes of evil – Russia, Iran, China, North Korea are increasing their alignment. We see China imports [sells] a lot of components, weapons to rivals in the Middle East, to Iran. And they purchase almost all the black-market oil from Iran,” the Taiwanese ambassador said.