Cyberwarfare and the safety of key infrastructure are expected to be the top issues discussed at the annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, which started in Williamsburg, Virginia, today.
The semi-official three-day conference, which has been held since 2012, is a key event for defense and security officials from Taiwan and the US to exchange thoughts and views on threats and challenges in the Taiwan Strait.
The US-Taiwan Business Council, which organized the event, said that American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger; retired admiral Scott Harbinson Swift, former commander of the US Pacific Fleet; retired lieutenant general Steven Rudder, former commanding general of the US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific; and former US assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Shriver would be attending the event.
Photo: CNA
The delegation from Taiwan, led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Hung-hui (柏鴻輝), includes Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s Division of Defense Strategy and Resources; retired lieutenant general Mike Tien (田在勤); retired admiral Richard Chen (陳永康); and Taiwan Security Analysis Center Director Mei Fu-shing (梅復興).
Panelists are to discuss issues including the Ukraine war, the most serious threats and emerging threats Taiwan faces and supply chain challenges that could negatively affect the ability of the US and Taiwan to meet identified threats.
Other key issues include how the US’ view of Taiwanese defense policy is changing, and how that might change after elections in Taiwan and the US next year.
There are also to be sessions focusing on gaps in Taiwan-US defense cooperation, cybersecurity as an emerging but crucial front in the event of a cross-strait conflict and the role that strategic paralysis of Taiwan’s critical infrastructure might play in a potential conflict.
The conference was held online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Major General Yu Chien-feng (余劍鋒), then director-general of the Defense Mission at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, served as Taiwan’s representative to the event.
A delegation was sent to the conference last year for the first time since 2020, led by then-deputy minister of national defense Wang Shin-long (王信龍).
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS