The Institute for Security and Development Policy on Thursday announced the establishment of the Stockholm Taiwan Center to deepen understanding and facilitiate discussions on vital issues concerning Taiwan.
The center “aims to be the leading hub of Taiwan studies in the Nordic region and Europe,” the Stockholm-based think tank said in a news release.
It is to focus on “facilitating dialogues on topical and important issues related to Taiwan” by conducting timely policy-oriented research, carrying out analysis and organizing events, it said.
Photo: CNA
Its areas of interest include relations between Taiwan and the Nordic countries and Europe, the development of democracy in Taiwan, cross-strait relations and security issues, and Taiwan’s position in international affairs, it said.
A Taiwan-Nordic Forum is to be held annually, with the location alternating between Stockholm and Taipei each year “to advance important discussions and allow for a deepening of Taiwan-Nordic research networks” through exchanges between experts, practitioners and policymakers from both sides, it said.
In addition, the center is to publish monthly newsletters, organize online seminars — called the Taiwan Lecture Series — as well as hold physical roundtable discussions in Stockholm for the public to exchange ideas on related topics, it said.
It would invite Taiwanese academics and officials to conduct research at the institute and interact with local research and policy communities, it said.
In other developments, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that Taiwan would continue working with like-minded partners to promote international development and prosperity.
At a meeting with a delegation from the Washington-based Global Taiwan Institute, Tsai thanked the think tank for its continued support for Taiwan since the institute was established in 2016.
With the support of the young members that formed the delegation, Taiwan and US relations should continue to grow and yield fruitful results, Tsai said.
The president added that the goal to contribute to global development and prosperity that she laid out in the remarks at the opening of the Global Taiwan Institute Annual Symposium in 2022 has never changed.
Taiwan has been safeguarding peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region by increasing its defense budget and strengthening its asymmetric combat capabilities, as well as investing heavily in cybersecurity infrastructure and talent cultivation to combat disinformation and cognitive warfare, she said.
Taiwan is looking forward to continuing to deepen cooperation with the US in supply chain security, the digital economy, emerging technology and information and communications technology security as a force for good in the world, she said.
Institute executive director Russell Hsiao (蕭良其) said that Tsai’s achievements in the past eight years in office are “truly remarkable.”
The trip is a show of support for Tsai, for Taiwan and for the continuation of the strong partnership between Taiwan and the US, he said.
Taiwan has remained steadfast while facing the challenges of the existing international order, earning the recognition and respect of the international community, he said.
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