President Lai Ching-te attended the opening ceremony of the Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue Aug. 5 in Taipei City, reaffirming commitment to deepening partnership with other democratic nations to advance global prosperity and development.
According to Lai, changes in the international landscape over the past year pose unprecedented challenges to the rules-based international order. As authoritarianism continues to expand, democratic nations must stand even closer in solidarity to defend their shared values, he said.
Since taking office in May 2024, Lai said his administration has been moving forward with the Four Pillars of Peace action plan to boost Taiwan’s national defense, build economic security, demonstrate stable and principled cross-strait leadership and promote values-based diplomacy.
At the same time, the president said the government has worked with strong commitment to enhance Taiwan’s whole-of-society defense and resilience through combining the annual Han Kuang military exercises with the new urban resilience drills to prepare for extreme situations, as well as increasing the 2026 defense budget to over 3 percent of the gross domestic product.
Lai said Taiwan is continuing to strengthen its economic resilience and security by deepening cooperation with other countries. The administration continues to foster the Five Trusted Industry Sectors of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, defense, security and surveillance and next-generation communication technologies, he added.
Cross-strait peace is not only a regional issue but a shared responsibility for global economic stability and security, the president said. Taiwan will stand with the world’s democracies to face challenges, uphold the rules-based international order, defend peace through strength and protect the hard-earned free and democratic way of life, he added.
Jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taipei-based Prospect Foundation, the event invited 12 high-ranking officials, academics and experts from 10 countries to engage in nuanced discussions with local counterparts. Speakers included former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former French National Assembly President François de Rugy, according to the Presidential Office. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
According to Lai, changes in the international landscape over the past year pose unprecedented challenges to the rules-based international order. As authoritarianism continues to expand, democratic nations must stand even closer in solidarity to defend their shared values, he said.
Since taking office in May 2024, Lai said his administration has been moving forward with the Four Pillars of Peace action plan to boost Taiwan’s national defense, build economic security, demonstrate stable and principled cross-strait leadership and promote values-based diplomacy.
At the same time, the president said the government has worked with strong commitment to enhance Taiwan’s whole-of-society defense and resilience through combining the annual Han Kuang military exercises with the new urban resilience drills to prepare for extreme situations, as well as increasing the 2026 defense budget to over 3 percent of the gross domestic product.
Lai said Taiwan is continuing to strengthen its economic resilience and security by deepening cooperation with other countries. The administration continues to foster the Five Trusted Industry Sectors of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, defense, security and surveillance and next-generation communication technologies, he added.
Cross-strait peace is not only a regional issue but a shared responsibility for global economic stability and security, the president said. Taiwan will stand with the world’s democracies to face challenges, uphold the rules-based international order, defend peace through strength and protect the hard-earned free and democratic way of life, he added.
Jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taipei-based Prospect Foundation, the event invited 12 high-ranking officials, academics and experts from 10 countries to engage in nuanced discussions with local counterparts. Speakers included former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former French National Assembly President François de Rugy, according to the Presidential Office. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
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