HM-HETZELMEDIA
The Hague, October 9th 2026
Taiwan:
An Island, a Democracy, a High-Tech Pearl – A Free Country, Indispensable to the Global Economy
My ceremonial address on the 115th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of China on Taiwan, on October 7th 2026, at Sociëteit De Witte, The Hague
By HELMUT HETZEL, The Hague
Mr. Ambassador, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Governor, Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Guests,
A very warm welcome to the celebration of the 115th anniversary of the Republic of China on Taiwan!
On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
I am delighted to have the opportunity today to congratulate the Republic of China on Taiwan on the 115th anniversary of its founding.
Happy Birthday to the Republic of China! Happy Birthday, Taiwan!
With the Ambassador/Representative of the Republic of China on Taiwan HE Chung-Kwang Tien
Let me start with a Question: How do you recognize a democracy?
Answer: by free and secret elections, freedom of the press and freedom of expression, and the separation of powers in: Legislative, Judiciary, Executive
The rule of law.
But what does democracy actually look like?
Let me tell you a personal experience.
Do you see this large gold-medal on my lapel?
What is it, you may ask?
It is the “International Communication Award of the Republic of China on Taiwan.” I was honored with this award by the government in Taipei for my reporting on Taiwan, among other things for my interview with Morris Chang, the founding father of the “Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – TSMC.”
He is also known as the “Godfather of Semiconductors.”
He is a genius. He is 95 years old. In Taiwan, he is revered as a hero.
For the presentation of the International Communication Award, I was invited to Taiwan by the government in Taipei together with my family.
Naturally, we also visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in the capital.
And there, in front of the hall, on Liberty Square, something happened.
My daughter Marijke, who is here in this room tonight, was still a young girl at the time – but she can remember.. – hello Marijke..
My son Henk, however, had already begun to show the first signs of puberty.
One of them was impossible to miss.
As a Dutchman born here in The Hague, Henk had colored his hair orange – oranje – before leaving for Taiwan.
Or to say in in Dutch: “Hij had een oranje hoofd.” He was a post-punky boy.
It was the 1990s.
Liberty Square, Taipei, Taiwan
On Liberty Square in Taipei, Henk, with his orange hair, was the centre of attention.
The young girls there first started giggling when they saw him.
Then they plucked up the courage.
They came over to us and asked:
“May we have a photograph with him?”
Almost all the girls from Taipei already had smartphones.
Liberty Sqaure, Taipei, Taiwan
And so a spontaneous photo session began on Liberty Square. We had enormous fun.
It was spontaneous. Everything was relaxed.
And Chiang Kai-shek calmly watched the whole scene from his memorial.
That was freedom in its purest form!
Chiang-Kia-shek-Memorial Hall, Liberty Square, Taipei, Taiwan
At the National Palace Museum in Taiwan
Now: Scene change: we go to Beijing
To Tiananmen Square – the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
Tiananmen-Square, Beijing, VR, China – everywhere there is police
When my daughter Marijke was there, she mailed me the following observation: “What a difference compared with Taipei. Everywhere there is police. You can not breathe freely. No one looks you straight in the eye.”
I had the same experience during my last visit to Beijing.
Remember: The massacre at Tiananmen Square on 3-4 June 1989
Tiananmen-Square June 1989 – Protest for freedom and democracy in China
Since the brutal massacre carried out by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on 3–4 June 1989, this historic square in the heart of Beijing has been under extremely tight security.
The statue of liberty on Tiananmen Square, Beijing in June 1989
There is no boy or girl walking around on Tiananmen Square with orange hair with whom you could spontaneously take photographs and have some fun.
Everywhere here there is police.
Tiananmen Square in Beijing is dead – it´s a dead square.
The couragous „Tank Man“ protests against the People´s Lberation Army who killed in the June 1989 massacre thousands of demonstrants
The massacre of 3–4 June 1989 remains taboo in China.
The Tank Man
But the square in Taipei – Liberty Square – is alive.
People can meet spontaneously there and have fun together – without the police intervening, without people having to be afraid.
That is the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship.
On Liberty Square in Taipei, that difference becomes visible and tangible.
That is why the square in Taipei rightly has its name:
Liberty Square!
And after the massacre of 3–4 June 1989, perhaps Tiananmen Square could also be renamed:
“The Square of Hellish Death.”
Apropos “Hellish Death”
Today please remember too:
Today three years ago, on 7th of Oktober 2023, the terror-organization Hamas attacked Isreal and killed more than 1200 innocent Jewish people.
Taiwan and TSMC
Back to Taiwan, let´s move to TSMC – the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
TSMC is the Factory of the Digital World
TSMC is a very important link in the high-tech chain of the world.
Founded by Morris Chang in 1987, TSMC revolutionized the semiconductor industry with its pure-play foundry model.
Interview with Morris Chang, founder of TSMC – the „Godfather of Semiconductors“
What makes TSMC unique?
TSMC does not design the chips for its customers itself.
It manufactures them for them.
That was the decisive innovation in the semiconductor industry.
It was Morris Chang’s first brilliant idea. The second was to establish TSMC in Taiwan.
Companies such as Apple or NVIDIA can therefore invest billions in chip design and software without having to build their own advanced semiconductor factories.
They save enormous production costs.
They have their chips manufactured by TSMC.
In 2025, TSMC’s revenue increased by 36 percent to $122 billion.
TSMC’s profit surged by 51 percent to $55 billion.
TSMC is now benefiting enormously from strong demand for AI chips.
TSMC is a vital part of the magic digital triangle:
This triangle is:
ASML (The Netherlands) – TSMC (Taiwan) – NVIDIA (USA)
TSMC manufactures the chips
ASML produces unique chip-machines
NVIDIA designs the chips for AI.
This magical semiconductor triangle is at the heart of today’s chip industry and AI-development.
It is the world’s magical semiconductor triangle.
If TSMC were to fail in this semiconductor production chain, the world’s most important advanced semiconductor manufacturing capacity would collapse.
That would trigger an economic crisis a economic catastrophe.
It would not affect TSMC and Taiwan alone.
It would have consequences for ASML, NVIDIA, Apple, AMD, Qualcomm, Samsung, Intel, Micron, Broadcom and countless other companies around the world.
The consequences could be enormous.
Smartphones could no longer be manufactured.
New data centres could not be built.
New cloud-computing capacity could not be added.
The development of new artificial intelligence systems could stop.
China – Taiwan – Europe
Allow me some last remarks on the conflict: China-Taiwan and Europe.
Beijing is claiming Taiwan as its own territory.
But you should know:
Taiwan was never part of the People’s Republic of China, which was founded only on 1 October 1949.
More than that:
Taiwan was also not continuously part of a Chinese nation-state throughout its history.
The island has experienced a changing rule,
The rule of indigenous people, the rule of European colonial powers –
1624–1662 – the Dutch rule by VOC –
The Qing rule, the Japanese rule
and, since 1945, the rule by the Republic of China.
Therefore, today’s Taiwan question is historically far more complex than Beijing says.
Beijing says: “Taiwan has always been part of China”
This “One China” doctrine of Beijing is false.
It serves the purpose of legitimising China’s ambitions to control the South China Sea as far as to the Philippines and Vietnam.
Beijing is now attempting, through increasingly aggressive military exercises at sea and in the air, to intimidate Taiwan.
The Taiwanese seem able to live with the threats of China.
They have to.
But they are preparing intensively for a possible confrontation with China.
They even make fun of the threat of a Chinese attack and strengthen their determination to resist by joking:
“Every morning, when Xi – the Chinese President – wakes up and thinks about attacking Taiwan, he should come to the conclusion: Not today.”
What Should We Do? What Can We Europeans Do?
Firstly:
We Europeans should pay far more attention to Taiwan.
We should cooperate more closely with Taiwan – economically, culturally and politically.
Secondly:
We should support Taiwan in becoming a member of important international organisations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and others.
Taiwan deserves a seat at the WHO and in other international Organisations.
The entire world could benefit from Taiwan’s expertise.
Thirdly:
We Europeans should tell Beijing clearly that the price of any kind of “conquest” of Taiwan would be high – far too high.
Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait are of enormous geopolitical and technological importance – for the United States, Japan, South Korea and the global economy.
Japan is warning
Japan’s Prime Minister Mrs. Sanae Takaichi warned China in November 2025.
She said:
“If China seeks to bring Taiwan under its control through military force, this could constitute an existential threat to Japan.”
The example of Hong Kong is a warning for Taiwan.
It shows: When Beijing would take over it means the loss of their freedom.
Forthly:
Our freedom is being defended in Europe in Ukraine.
In Asia, our freedom is being defended in and around Taiwan.
Thank you for your attention – enjoy the evening.
My new book
In my new book: “Ungefiltert – Unzensiert – Ein Auslandskorrespondent berichtet“ I report about my experiences in China and Taiwan and I analyse the conflict China – Taiwan on the pages 97-140.
Link to order:
https://buchshop.bod.de/ungefiltert-unzensiert-helmut-hetzel-9783695171767
LINKS:
https://www.roc-taiwan.org/nl_nl/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/@HMHetzelMedia
https://www.hetzelmedia.com/der-dialog-mit-dem-drachen-wichtiger-denn-je/
With my daughter Marijke
With the Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, (second from left), the Ambassdor of Taiwan, Chung-Kwang-Tien (middle), and Marianne Schuurmans, Mayor of Haarlemmermeer
/ End of text /
Copyright © HELMUT HETZEL / The Hague