Taiwan plays a crucial role in the global value chain and democratic supply chain, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday, adding that the nation would follow “integrated diplomacy” to cooperate with countries through values, strategic alliances and economic development.
Lin made the remarks at a banquet that the ministry hosted in Taipei for a delegation of think tank members and national security experts from the US led by Institute for Indo-Pacific Security chairman Randall Schriver.
Taiwan is facing the threat of “hybrid warfare” by China, including disinformation, cyberwarfare, “gray zone” operations, economic coercion and infiltration, Lin said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
To address these challenges, President William Lai (賴清德) has pledged to increase next year’s national defense budget to 3.32 percent of GDP, and would increase it to 5 percent by 2030, Lin said.
The president’s moves demonstrate the nation’s determination to bear the responsibility for its own safety, and maintain peace and stability in the region, he said.
Lin in May led a delegation of local artificial intelligence (AI) server manufacturers to visit Texas, a key location of Taiwanese investments in the US’ smart technology sector, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a news release.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Taiwan, with advanced development in core technology fields, is ready to become an important strategic partner of the US in Washington’s “AI Action Plan,” it said.
Schriver praised Taiwan’s efforts over the past few years to bolster its self-defense capabilities and whole-of-society defense resilience, the ministry said.
He made a toast “to democracy, freedom, and the friendship between Taiwan and the US,” it said.
The ministry thanked the think tank for its long-term concerns for security and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and assisting the US and its allies to develop comprehensive strategies to counter challenges from China.
Separately on Friday, Lin also met with a delegation of Colombian lawmakers led by Jose Luis Perez, former chairman of the Colombian Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
The six-member delegation also included Colombian senators German Alcides Blanco, Juan Felipe Lemos and Jorge Enrique Benedetti, Colombian Representative Bayardo Gilberto Betancourt, and Perez’s chief of staff, Amalia Andrea Vergel, all members of the Colombia-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group, the ministry said.
Colombia has a vast population and rich natural resources, and there is great potential for expanding cooperation between the two countries, Lin said.
Taiwan is looking forward to working with Colombia to create a favorable environment for Taiwanese businesspeople to expand investment in the country, and to boost bilateral economic and trade exchanges, he said.
Taiwan’s economic development and democracy have left a deep impression on the delegation, and the Colombia-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group is committed to promoting exchanges between that people of both countries, and boosting bilateral economic and trade relations, Perez said.
Members of the delegation would continue to support Taiwan in Colombia and the international arena, he added.
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