Taiwan’s flourishing democracy is crucial to regional peace and stability, former US Navy admiral John Aquilino said during a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) in Taipei yesterday.
Aquilino, who was head of the Indo-Pacific Command, made the comments at an event at the Presidential Office attended by a delegation from the National Bureau of Asian Research think tank.
Aquilino said he continues to be incredibly impressed with Lai’s leadership and the “actions he has taken to secure Taiwan and defend its people.”
Photo: CNA
The pace of efforts to foster whole-of-society defense is “nothing short of inspiring,” he said.
Taiwan’s thriving democracy is “incredibly important” to the peace and stability of the region, he added.
Aquilino vowed to continue offering support alongside the think tank.
National Bureau of Asian Research president Michael Wills and his team are an asset to Taiwan and the US in helping continue their close relationship, and to ensure peace and stability in the region, he said.
Lai offered his “deepest gratitude” to the think tank for its research on regional security, which he said has allowed the international community to gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s role in the Indo-Pacific region and global democratic development.
Taiwan is continuing to implement its “four pillars of peace” action plan — enhancing national defense capabilities, building economic security, demonstrating stable and principled cross-strait leadership, and standing with the democratic community to establish deterrence — and stands at the forefront of global democracy at a strategically important position in the first island chain, Lai said.
Other efforts to ensure Taiwan’s safety include increased military allowances for volunteer service members and combat troops at the beginning of the month, reforming national defense and enhancing self-sufficiency, Lai added.
“We will prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that Taiwan’s defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP,” he said.
“These efforts continue to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and demonstrate our commitment to defending freedom and democracy,” he added.
Lai thanked the US government for its arms sales to Taiwan and for expanding the Taiwan-US partnership.
In addition to engaging in military exchanges and cooperation, the two nations could also more tightly integrate their economic and trade relationship to boost each other’s economic resilience, he said.
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