Lai made the remarks while meeting with a delegation from the Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellowship program run by the Center for a New American Security April 23 at the Presidential Office in Taipei City.
In his remarks, the president recognized Michèle Flournoy, chair of the CNAS Board of Directors, for her long-term commitment to deepening cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. He also lauded the think tank for contributing to U.S. government research on national security and national defense policies, as well as fellowship project for cultivating national security and foreign affairs talent.
The international community has reached a firm consensus on cross-strait issues and views Taiwan Strait peace as indispensable to global security and prosperity, Lai said, adding that faced with military threats from China, the Taiwan government is carrying out its Four Pillars of Peace action plan.
According to the president, the first pillar entails promoting national defense reforms, enhancing societal resilience and increasing the national defense budget to over 3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. The second focuses on strengthening economic resilience by expanding further into the global market, while the third emphasizes collaboration with fellow democracies to deter authoritarian regimes.
The final pillar outlines Taiwan’s willingness to hold exchanges and cooperate with China under the principles of parity and dignity, Lai said. He concluded by expressing hope of continuing to work with the U.S. to maintain Indo-Pacific stability.
In response, Flournoy said that under the current volatile geopolitical conditions, it is high time for the two sides to ramp up dialogue and collaboration to jointly advance regional peace and stability and uphold the shared values of democracy and respect for human rights. (POC-E)
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from Taiwan Today – Top News