Taiwan is to continue promoting national defense reform so that next year’s national defense budget would reach at least 3 percent of GDP, President William Lai (賴清德) told the opening of the Ketagalan Forum today.
This year’s Ketagalan Forum, titled “Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue,” is being held today in Taipei by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gathering leaders from the US, UK, Canada, India, France and more.
Lai delivered his speech in English, saying that this year’s forum would focus on three major themes closely linked to Taiwan’s development: Indo-Pacific regional security, whole-of-society defense strategies in democratic countries, and the strategic integration of economic, technological and industrial diplomacy.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The forum would help democratic countries from around the world find more ways to work together toward “a more secure Indo-Pacific and more prosperous world,” Lai said.
“As authoritarianism continues to expand, democratic nations must join even closer in solidarity to defend our values,” he said.
Taiwan is a key factor to Indo-Pacific peace and stability, and its government remains “committed to maintaining the ‘status quo’ and ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Lai said.
Working toward this goal, Taiwan has been enhancing whole-of-society defense and resilience, specifically by treating last month as “national solidarity month,” he said.
This year’s annual Han Kuang military exercises last month expanded civil participation, testing the readiness of government agencies and the public to address extreme situations through military-civilian cooperation, he said.
Lai went on to discuss national defense spending, saying that “next year’s defense budget will reach a target of over 3 percent of GDP to boost Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities.”
In addition, Lai said Taiwan would continue to enhance its economic resilience, steadily advance its economic security and deepen its economic and trade cooperation with other countries.
“We will keep upgrading our five trusted industry sectors of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, military security and surveillance, and next-gen communications,” he added.
Taiwan’s strength and its democratic footing are grounded firmly in its economy, Lai said.
By working together, democratic countries can create more resilient democratic supply chains and secure even more economic prosperity, he said.
“Peace in the Taiwan Strait is not just a regional issue, but a shared responsibility for economic stability and security around the world,” he added.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS