TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) have partnered together to hold the Ketagalan Forum 2020 Asia-Pacific Security Dialogue from Tuesday (Sept. 8) to Wednesday (Sept. 9), with former White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) both scheduled to give speeches.
MOFA issued a press release Monday stating that the government looks forward to strengthening cooperation and dialogue with all parties through the forum and to working together to maintain and promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. The ministry also pointed out that due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, the forum will be conducted in a semi-online manner.
The forum will be divided into 5 sessions: "Stability and Turbulence: Security in the Taiwan Strait," "South China Sea: Theater of Power Rivalry," "Lessons from COVID-19: Bolstering Global Public Health Cooperation," "Challenges and Prospects for the CPTPP in a Changing Global Economy,” and "Economic Security after COVID-19." Current and former officials, scholars, and experts from a number of countries will attend the forum to discuss regional security issues in the post-epidemic era.
According to the agenda, McMaster and former Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) will deliver keynote speeches on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Event moderators will include INDSR CEO Lin Cheng-wei (林成蔚) and Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kuang (田中光).
Other special guests include Daniel Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute; Paul Monk, former head of the China Desk of Australia’s Defence Intelligence Organization; Antoine Bondaz, research fellow at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research; Jerzy Duszynski, president of the Polish Academy of Sciences; as well as parliamentarians from Japan and Australia and experts and scholars from Vietnam, the Philippines, India, South Korea, and other countries.
