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.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS