TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 23rd annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference began on Sunday (Sept. 22) in Philadelphia to address Taiwan’s defense challenges and the future of bilateral defense cooperation.
The conference is divided into five sessions that will last until Sept. 24, per its website. The first session will consider regional and global approaches to threats Taiwan faces. It will evaluate potential regional allies and the capabilities they could bring in “a coalition-based response.”
Experts will review China’s gray zone tactics toward Taiwan in the second session, including political, economic, and disinformation operations. The third session will cover existing and potential mechanisms to “appropriately resource” Taiwan’s deterrence and defense efforts.
The fourth session will assess how Taiwan can counter coercive measures such as a quarantine or blockade, and how US industry could play a role in these situations.
The fifth session will discuss the possible impacts of the 2024 US presidential election on future Taiwan-US ties, particularly regarding foreign military sales and the backlog of arms delivery to Taiwan.
Vice Minister of Armaments Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) is leading a delegation at the conference. Other Taiwanese politicians are also attending, including the director of the Democratic Progressive Party's US office Iris Shaw (蕭舜文) and Kuomintang Director of International Affairs Alexander Huang (黃介正).
The conference has been held since 2002 to discuss Taiwan’s defense and national security needs.