Remarks at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy’s Global Initiative for Local Democracy AI × Democracy Forum

Remarks at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy's Global Initiative for Local Democracy AI × Democracy Forum

• Data Source：Department of NGO International Affairs
• Date：2026-01-27

Dr. Lin Chia-lung

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Republic of China (Taiwan)

January 27, 2026

(As Prepared for Delivery)

Distinguished guests;

Ladies and gentlemen:

Good morning!

Firstly, as vice chairman of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and minister of foreign affairs, I extend a sincere welcome to all of our esteemed guests. I would especially like to thank our friends from overseas who have traveled from afar to attend today's forum and engage in exchanges and mutually instructive dialogue.

Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996-a significant milestone in Taiwan's transition to democracy. This year marks the 30th anniversary of that historic event. Looking back on Taiwan's democratic journey, it is apparent that the foundations of democracy in Taiwan are to be found in the concept of local self-government. Indeed, Taiwan held its first county magistrate and city mayoral elections as early as 1950. This laid the cornerstone of our democratic system.

As challenges to democracy around the world intensify, a growing number of international opinion leaders hope that cooperation on governance among subnational partners will enhance social resilience and consolidate democracy. Effective local governance impacts people's everyday lives and is crucial for a country's long-term democratic development. And as local autonomy has deepened in recent years, local governments have evolved from being mere implementers of policy to innovators of democratic governance. Through experience sharing via international networks, a new trend is emerging whereby local innovation forms a key part of global collaboration.

It is noteworthy that the lifting of martial law in Taiwan-a process that propelled the nation's democratization-took place in 1987, the same year that Mr. Morris Chang founded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. The fact that Taiwan's political democratization and trailblazing technologies took root and flourished in the same place and in the same year symbolizes the profound and inextricable link between technological advancement and urban governance.

I formerly served as mayor of Taichung, Taiwan's second-largest city. During that period, I gained the insight that emerging technologies often find their most effective uses at a local level. Indeed, throughout my mayorship, we leveraged smart applications to tackle urban governance challenges and drive city-oriented innovation. Yet we also saw how rapid technological advancement fuels information overload. When compounded by malicious manipulation, this makes building consensus on many issues more difficult, posing all-new challenges to urban governance.

Therefore, as we step into the AI era, we must collectively ask ourselves: Will the paradigm shift brought about by AI deliver greater innovation for urban governance or introduce new challenges?

Today's forum, themed around the synergies between AI and democracy, features three speakers who will share their unique experiences and perspectives on practicing digital democratic governance in Taiwan. We also look forward to opening a dialogue with international partners on how cities can play a more proactive role within the global democratic governance network. This embodies a concrete implementation of the concept of integrated diplomacy that I have been advocating myself.

Additionally, we have especially arranged a groundbreaking AI-human debate that will explore the overall impact that integrating AI into governance might have on democracy. The event will touch upon such issues as agenda setting, information aggregation, participatory deliberation, negotiated decision-making, the oversight of implementation, and accountability remedies. We hope the experience will spark greater interest and discussion on related issues throughout our community.

In closing, I wish today's forum every success, and I extend my best wishes to all distinguished guests for a healthy and prosperous Year of the Horse. Thank you!