TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) on Thursday (Feb. 2) attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., with 1,300 other dignitaries.

On his Facebook page, the veteran Taiwanese politician wrote how he saw that the power of religious freedom was uniting allies for democracy. It was the first time he had been invited to the breakfast event.

The formula for the event was different from past years, with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Capitol Hill, while the other attendees were seated around 160 tables at the Washington Hilton, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported. The 1,300 people included religious leaders, heads of state, diplomats, legislators.

Speaker You said he was moved by the words of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the event by videoconferencing to pray for peace, almost one year after the Russian invasion. The top lawmaker said he prayed with all of those present for the Ukrainians to find peace, and for the people of Taiwan to have happiness.