With support from the Presidential Office, a strategic dialogue mechanism consisting of US, Japanese and Taiwanese scholars and think tanks is set to hold its first meeting in Taipei starting today.
A source in the Presidential Office told the Taipei Times that the group plans to meet every six months in Taipei, Tokyo and Washington on rotation.
The group hopes to become a "Track Two" or "Track Three" style forum and help strengthen strategic cooperation between the three countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The week-long meeting is jointly organized by the Taiwan Thinktank (台灣智庫), the Okazaki Institute, Vanderbilt University and the American Enterprise Institute.
National Security Council Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) is scheduled to open the meeting today, while Vice Premier Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) will host separate banquets for attending scholars.
The attendees include Hisahiko Okazaki, a veteran Japanese diplomat, and Sumihiko Kawamura, a former fleet commander from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force. A number of other former Japanese defense officers are also attending.
On the American side there is University of Miami professor June Dreyer, John Tkacik of the Heritage Foundation, and James Auer, a former special assistant to the US Secretary of Defense. Robin Sakoda, an aide of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, is also attending.
Attendees on the Taiwan side include Taiwan Thinktank Chairman Chen Po-chih (
The Presidential Office source said the trilateral dialogue mechanism was created by the integration of bilateral channels after the Bush administration began to readjust its strategic policies after last year's Sept. 11 attacks.
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