Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Chiueh Her-ming (闕河鳴) exchanged opinions on digital resilience and information security with visiting members of the European Parliament this week.
Lithuanian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rasa Jukneviciene, who is vice chair of the body’s Subcommittee on Security and Defense, is leading a delegation of seven MEPs to Taiwan.
The delegation is scheduled to depart today.
Photo: CNA
The motto “information security is national security” lies at the heart of Taiwan’s current policymaking, Chiueh said during a meeting with the delegation on Tuesday.
The delegation also includes Lithuanian MEP Ausra Maldeikiene, Estonian MEP Riho Terras, Hungarian MEP Katalin Cseh and Romanian MEP Ramona Strugariu.
Information security is a crucial part of the digital transformation of the public and private sectors, as well as a challenge that Taiwan must face, Chiueh said.
For example, government agencies reported an unprecedented number of cyberattacks when then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August last year, he added.
Taiwan’s information security management was bolstered with the establishment of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Chiueh said, adding that the nation’s cyberdefense system is being continuously improved.
The system can defend national network security from cyberattacks, he added.
The ministry last year launched a URL-shortening service to facilitate the distribution of public information, help the public identify government Web sites and reduce the risk of following scam or phishing sites, Chiueh said.
All URLs shortened with the ministry’s software begin with “https://gov.tw/,” which is equivalent to URLs ending in “gov.tw,” indicating that the Web sites belong to the government and are safe to visit, he said.
The ministry is also developing cross-border backups through advanced encryption sub-support technology to ensure the smooth operation of public-sector systems in the event of an emergency, he said.
The ministry embraces Zero Trust Architecture based on the concept of “continued verification and never trust,” he added.
Jukneviciene said that European countries have been paying more attention to information security issues following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
The delegation learned about Taiwan’s experience in digital transformation and its response to information security threats during the visit, she said.
She also expressed hope to seize more cooperation opportunities with Taiwan, which can deepen EU-Taiwan relations.
In a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday, Jukneviciene said that “there is a direct connection between European prosperity and Asian security.”
“The EU and the member states should take a proactive role in establishing partnerships with the democratic government of Taiwan,” she said, mentioning her country signing a pact with Taiwan in 2021 to establish a representative office in each other’s capital.
Additional reporting by CNA
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