President Tsai opens 2022 Ketagalan Forum

2022/07/28

President Tsai Ing-wen opened the Ketagalan Forum—2022 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue July 26 from Taipei City, with the physical and virtual event reaffirming the government’s commitment to working with like-minded partners to advance regional peace and stability.
 
Authoritarian regimes pose threats to regional and international peace and security as evidenced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Tsai said. As a frontline state facing repressive expansion, Taiwan is a crucial stronghold for democracy and plays a key counter-intrusion role in alliances, she added.
 
Tsai said democracies worldwide have acknowledged the stakes involved in the Indo-Pacific region, demonstrated by the founding of AUKUS and new initiatives launched by the EU and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) last year. The statement and communique respectively concluded by the NATO summit and the G-7 leaders’ meeting last month also addressed challenges posed by China and underscored the importance of cross-strait peace and stability, she said.
 
Taiwan is committed to defending the country, its democratic way of life and regional security, Tsai said, adding that the government has accelerated the country’s progress towards self-sufficiency in national defense through domestic development of naval vessels, bolstering reserve forces and enhancing asymmetric warfare capabilities.
 
These practical measures are complemented by Taiwan’s meaningful engagement in the international community, Tsai said, citing the New Southbound Policy and the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.
 
In addition, trade ties between the country and partners worldwide are going from strength to strength as reflected by the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade launched last month and last year’s record-high Taiwan-EU mutual investment. Tsai added that the country is dedicated to maintaining its competitive edge in the semiconductor industry to ensure secure global supply chains.
 
As an integral democratic partner in the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan will continue to stand with like-minded friends in protecting shared values and hard-earned democratic freedoms for generations to come, she added.
 
Tsai took the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan for his contributions to a free and open Indo-Pacific through developing the Quad and forming strong regional partnerships.
 
Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taipei City-based Prospect Foundation, the daylong forum featured top academics, experts and officials including MOFA Deputy Ministers Harry Ho-jen Tseng and Tien Chung-kwang; former Estonia President Toomas Hendrik Ilves; former Kosovo President Behgjet Pacolli; former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; former Japanese Foreign and Defense Minister Kono Taro; and Japanese House of Representatives Member Suzuki Keisuke. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)