Han Kuo-yu speaks at Tang Prize banquet, envisions Taiwan as global wisdom beacon

Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu attended the pre-dinner cocktail reception for the 7th Tang Prize laureates' banquet this evening, delivering a speech in which he highly praised the Tang Prize's standing in international academia and civilizational development. He publicly stated that since its inception, the Tang Prize has steadfastly upheld its original intent, continually honoring exceptional individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the development of all human civilization. Han further expressed his hope that the Tang Prize will continue to expand its influence in the future, bringing the world's most precious crystallization of wisdom to Taiwan, and growing robustly with the support of all sectors to ultimately become a vital beacon where Eastern civilization and global wisdom converge, demonstrating Taiwan's pivotal role in promoting global academic exchange and civilizational dialogue.

The Tang Prize was established in 2012 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin and is administered with the assistance of Academia Sinica in the selection process. Modeled after the spirit of the Nobel Prize at its founding, it places even greater emphasis on combining Eastern cultural philosophy with modern universal values. The Tang Prize encompasses four major categories: Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. These four fields directly address the most core challenges currently facing human society. From extreme climate and environmental crises, breakthroughs in cutting-edge medicine and life sciences, and profound humanistic and historical foundations, to the rule of law underpinning social fairness and justice, Tang Prize laureates are frequently global top authorities in their respective fields. Through the selection and award ceremonies held every two years, the Tang Prize has successfully gathered the world's finest minds in Taiwan, making the island a focal point of intense international academic attention.

Judging from the context of heads of state and parliamentary leaders actively participating in Tang Prize-related activities in recent years, the prize is no longer merely an academic award established by a private foundation; it has long become an important platform for Taiwan to promote substantive citizen diplomacy and academic soft power. Long facing the predicament of suppressed diplomatic space and limited participation in international organizations, Taiwan has built an academic bridge to the world through the Tang Prize by inviting Nobel Prize-tier top scholars from around the globe to visit Taiwan, hold forums, and deliver lectures. Han's attendance at the banquet in his capacity as Legislative Yuan President, along with his high expectations for the Tang Prize, not only represents the importance the Republic of China's parliament places on international academic exchange, but also sends a positive signal to the international community that Taiwan is willing to contribute its efforts to the development of all human civilization.

Han specifically mentioned in his speech that he hopes the Tang Prize can become a beacon where Eastern civilization and global wisdom intersect, a statement that strikes at the deep cultural significance behind the prize's founding. While the Western world has led the development of modern science and industrial revolutions over the past few centuries, it often needs to look back and draw upon Eastern philosophical wisdom—such as the "unity of heaven and humanity" and "harmony in diversity"—when confronting contemporary complex global crises, such as environmental ethics and the conflict between technology and human nature. The establishment of the Sinology award is precisely to honor scholars who have made profound contributions to Sinological research, allowing the world to rediscover the value of Eastern civilization. As the place that best preserves and promotes traditional Chinese culture while highly integrating modern democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, Taiwan is undoubtedly the optimal venue to host the convergence of Eastern and Western civilizations.

Looking at the bigger picture, having been held in Taiwan for multiple editions, the Tang Prize has established a lofty international reputation, with many laureates becoming important friends and advocates for Taiwan in the international academic community upon returning to their respective countries. Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu's public remarks at the banquet are not only an affirmation of the Tang Prize Foundation's years of hard work, but also highlight Taiwan's cross-partisan national consensus to continuously support international academic and civilizational dialogue. Amid the current volatile and unpredictable international geopolitics, Taiwan has proven through the exchange of universal values in science, medicine, Sinology, and the rule of law that its value extends far beyond economic, trade, or geostrategic importance, lying even more in our capacity to ignite a guiding light for human wisdom and civilizational progress.