TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Addressing an international forum in Taipei on Tuesday (Sept. 8), President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called for countries with similar values to coordinate on maintaining regional stability and economic development.
“Maintaining regional peace requires collaborations,” remarked Tsai at the opening of the two-day Ketagalan Forum. She criticized Beijing for destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region with its rapid militarization of the South China Sea, increasing military activities in the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea, and coercive diplomacy against countries and corporations worldwide.
“Hong Kong’s recent path shows us that our liberty and freedom can be easily lost if our efforts to protect them are not coordinated and sustained,” added Tsai. She urged the international community to push for sustained, concerted efforts to maintain the strategic order and deter unilateral aggressive acts.
“Taiwan stands at the forefront of defending democracy from authoritarian aggression,” said Tsai, who pledged to enhance the country’s defense capabilities through means such as increasing its defense budget “in proportion to the military challenge we face.” The commander-in-chief reiterated her commitment to reforming the military, developing its asymmetric capabilities, and procuring military equipment from the U.S.
Emphasizing that a country’s economy goes hand in hand with its security, Tsai also urged economic cooperation among democratic nations: “A lack of economic integration among like-minded countries would only drive us to seek short-term solutions with those who do not share our values and beliefs.”
The ongoing pandemic has proven that global supply chains and trade mechanisms are highly vulnerable and subject to coercion by aggressive actors, said Tsai. She stressed the need to restructure supply chains and re-enforce fair and non-coercive trade rules.
Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ketagalan Forum is focused on the theme of security in the Asia-Pacific region. Politicians and experts from Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the U.S., including former American National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster and former Taiwanese Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), will give virtual or in-person talks over the next two days.
