The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds to the U.S. 2020 human rights report March 31. (Staff photo/Pang Chia-shan)
 

Taiwan is leaving no stone unturned to safeguard human rights like freedom of speech, with a raft of achievements which have received global recognition from democracies such as the U.S. in the international community, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 31.

In the statement, the MOFA responded to the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices issued by the U.S. Department of State March 30 that assess the level of a country’s human rights protections in seven aspects, including respect for a person’s integrity, civil liberties and freedom to participate in the political process.

The other four metrics are corruption and lack of transparency in government, government attitude toward international and nongovernmental investigation of alleged human rights abuses, discrimination, societal abuses and trafficking in persons and worker rights.

The report pointed out that Taiwan is a democracy led by a president and an elected parliament selected from multiple parties. Laws prohibiting human rights violations are enforced by authorities and officials who commit abuses are prosecuted without impunity, the report added.

One highlight of the report is freedom of expression, including for the press, which it said the country’s constitution offers under its freedom of speech provisions and the government generally respects this right.

The report also indicated that despite China’s attempts to influence Taiwan media outlets by leveraging their parent companies’ business interests in the PRC, Taiwan has a vibrant independent media allowing the expression of a wide range of views without restrictions.

In response, the MOFA said the government has always attached importance to promoting the rights of individuals and organizations in the country. Taiwan has been working with the U.S. to promote the shared values ​​of democracy, good governance and human rights through mechanisms such as the Indo-Pacific Democratic Governance Consultation launched in 2019 and will continue deepening the global partnership between the two sides, the ministry added.

Also called the Human Rights Reports, the Country Reports are submitted by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the Department of State to the U.S. Congress annually. (YCH-X)