Taiwan, US stage GCTF workshop in Switzerland

2024/03/18

Cooperation and Training Framework March 13 in Bern, Switzerland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
 
The event was opened by Rep. David W.F. Huang of the Taipei Cultural and Economic Delegation to Switzerland and U.S. Amb. Scott C. Miller, and involved nearly 80 attendees including officials, lawmakers, think tank scholars and members of the press.
 
The workshop featured a keynote speech by Taiwan’s EU Rep. Roy Chun Lee and two panel discussions on the themes of geopolitical risk, supply chain robustness, economic coercion and economic resilience.
 
During his opening remarks, Huang said like-minded partners need to work together when facing challenges such as geopolitical crisis, climate change, inflation and COVID-19 fallout to enhance supply chain security and democratic resilience for the linked purposes of defending the rules-based international order and creating a prosperous future for all.
 
In his keynote speech, Lee pointed out that Taiwan, Japan, Australia and Lithuania have felt the impact of China’s ongoing weaponization of its trade prowess. Like-minded countries need to work in unity and find the balance between efficiency and security to counter such geopolitical threats, he said, urging members of the democratic world to stand up to economic coercion from authoritarian regimes.
 
According to the MOFA, other notable participants of the one-day workshop included Liza Tobin, a former U.S. National Security Council official; Stefan Brupbacher, director of Swissmen, an association for Switzerland’s mechanical and electrical engineering industries; and Andreas Ewald, chief executive officer of the Swiss industrial machinery group K.R. Pfiffner AG.
 
Launched in June 2015 by Taiwan and the U.S., with Japan and Australia joining later, the GCTF has become a critical platform for discussing solutions to global issues. Around 70 workshops have been staged so far to address issues spanning cybersecurity, disaster relief, energy efficiency, humanitarian assistance, law enforcement cooperation, public health and women’s empowerment.


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