 Are Israel and Taiwan neighborhood bullies? Or examples of democracy and freedom in a region surrounded by those who seek to destroy it. We're here in Taiwan to explore five ways these two tiny countries are similar. Taiwan and Israel both have shared values as liberal democracies. Both countries have made tremendous strides in only a few decades to protect civil liberties and to ensure that freedom of speech and freedom of the press is a reality. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country ranked free by Freedom House. And Taiwan is ranked sixth in the world for political and civil freedoms. Both countries have free and fair multi-party elections. And both countries protect freedom of religion under the law. But also both countries face similar challenges because of this commitment to freedom and democracy. Taiwan faces a serious threat from China where the Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly threatened to overtake Taiwan as part of their one China policy. As they did with Hong Kong not long ago. Israel faces threats from its neighbors as well. From Lebanon, from Syria, as well as from Iran. All of whom, at different points, have threatened to wipe Israel off the map. Additionally, both countries struggle in the fight against disinformation for Israel that is manifest in disinformation about what's happening in Israel on social media. For Taiwan, the threat arises from Chinese propaganda spread through social media and media. Now we all know that the UN focuses disproportionately on bashing Israel. But Taiwan is also discriminated against in the UN as China makes every effort to exclude Taiwan. And even Taiwanese reporters from UN recognition. As a result of their similar threats, Taiwan and Israel both have a close alliance with the United States and other Western democracies to help bluster the defense if existential threats arise. Because of the tiny size of Israel. And the tiny size of Taiwan. Both countries have been forced to innovate in new ways to build their economies. Israel is known as the start-up nation, where there are more tech unicorns than anywhere else in the world other than Silicon Valley. Taiwan is known as the scale-up nation, making it a natural collaborator with Israel. If there's a technology that impacts everyone's life, it would be the SD card or the SIM card, the vast majority of which are produced in Taiwan. Taiwan created fiber optic internet, changing the face of the internet for the entire world. Like Taiwan, Israel has no shortage of tech developments that have changed the world and continue to. From medical research to penny-um-chip processors to electric car batteries and beyond. The truth is, without Taiwanese and Israeli innovation, Emily, we would be living in a totally different reality today. Israel declared independence in 1948 after the UN partition plan paved the path for a Jewish state. And Taiwan split from China in 1947. Both countries have faced existential threats from day one of their independence. And both countries have succeeded, despite all the odds, as liberal democracies. Today, the two countries regularly collaborate across industries. More recently, Taiwan was a world leader in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic, much like Israel led the world in the vaccine rollout and providing accurate vaccine data. This year marks 30 years of friendship and relations between Taiwan and Israel. And the relations are only growing closer. Two-way trade in 2021 reached a record $2.4 billion, a 33% increase year on year. There are many more examples of Israeli-Taiwanese connection. But one thing is certain, these two tiny countries have a massive global impact for the better.