The two-day Yushan Forum started today in Taipei under the theme of “New Southbound Policy+: Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific and a New World.”
“Taiwan will continue to engage with the world, and we welcome the world to come closer to Taiwan,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at the opening ceremony.
Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, the forum is taking place today and tomorrow.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In addition to Lai, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and foundation president Michael Hsiao (蕭新煌), international participants such as former Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa, Czech Senator Pavel Fischer and American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene are also in attendance, the ministry said in a news release.
Taiwan’ continues to show its commitment to “democracy, freedom, high-end technology and social innovation, fostering strong partnerships with like-minded allies,” Michael Hsiao said.
The new “New Southbound Policy Plus” policy would see the nation establish “six corridors” of collaboration with participating nations: technology, health, resilience, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and young people, he said.
Taiwan is a “beacon of liberty, a testament of how people thrive in freedom,” Rasmussen said.
Referencing ongoing global geopolitical tensions, Rasmussen said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) “is watching Ukraine,” and democracies must work together to signal collective strength and commitments.
“Taiwan belongs to the family of democracies,” Rasmussen added.
“Taiwan is increasingly becoming a crucial pillar of peace and stability, not only for the Indo-Pacific region, but the entire world,” Jansa said.
Japan would continue its deepening ties with Taiwan and would cooperate with Taiwan on its commitments to democracy and regional stability, said Keiji Furuya, chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council and Member of the House of Representatives in Japan’s National Legislature.
“A Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency,” Furuya said, repeating a statement by former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s policy on maintaining peace in East Asia.
Looking at the US, Greene said that the US stands with its regional allies to promote shared interests and regional stability.
Referencing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s plans to expand manufacturing in the US, Greene said Taiwan plays a crucial role in “reindustrializing the United States.”
The forum is to continue for another day tomorrow, featuring more remarks from high-level officials from Taiwan as well as like-minded nations.
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‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
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SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
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