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Reporter Chen Zhengyu / Taipei Report
Vision Foundation held today (8) 2020 “stationPresident Tsai Ing-wen led the seminar on the Indo-Pacific Trilateral Security Dialogue between the United States and Japan, Gu Lixiong, the Secretary General of the National Security Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Zhaoxie, the Deputy Director of the Office Ke Chengheng National Security Officer and other senior national security officials. In response to China’s intensified military threats and provocations in the South China Sea, Tsai Ing-wen said in a speech:stationBay will join the international response and strive to defend the democratic system and way of life.
▲ Tsai Ing-wen (right) emphasized that Taiwan will work with the international community to respond to threats from China and fight to defend democracy. (Combined image / data photo)
In her speech today at the “Taiwan-United States-Japan Indo-Pacific Trilateral Security Dialogue”, Tsai Ing-wen said that she first thanked the “Project 2049 Research Institute”, the “Japan Institute for International Studies” and to the “Envision Foundation” for organizing this great event. Thanks to Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of the US Department of State for Asia and the Pacific, for attending today. She mentioned that she hadn’t seen Undersecretary Campbell in a while, and was very happy to see him with his vigor and vigor, and was looking forward to Undersecretary Campbell’s next speech.
Tsai Ing-wen pointed out that, as she said before, 2020 is a year full of challenges. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, humanity has faced unprecedented difficulties, the global economy continues to decline, and our thinking and lifestyle are also forced to change. At the same time, major events like the Hong Kong democracy movement and the US presidential elections have a huge impact on how we respond to future regional geopolitics. The arrest and imprisonment of three Hong Kong pro-democracy youths is a serious warning. We must once again make an important decision, whether it is to defend democracy or succumb to the threat of authoritarianism.
Tsai Ing-wen went on to say that 2020 is also a year filled with warmth, tenacity, strength, and friendship. Despite the outbreak of the epidemic, Taiwan welcomes the old and the new with open arms, and has established partnerships with the United States, Japan, the Czech Republic, and other like-minded allies. Although this year was an eventful year, it also enabled us to establish and strengthen a mutually beneficial partnership. Therefore, this year’s trilateral dialogue on security is even more important. Only by strengthening exchanges and interactions and working together can we respond to regional and global threats and challenges.
▼ ▲ Tsai Ing-wen pointed out that despite constant twists and turns, this year is also a year for countries to show resilience and the power of friendship. (Photo by reporter Chen Zhengyu)
Tsai Ing-wen mentioned that while we are busy fighting the epidemic, all kinds of traditional and non-traditional threats come with severe challenges at the same time. The South China Sea is becoming increasingly militarized and authoritarian forces continue to violate and clash with the international order based on laws and regulations. Taiwan is engulfed in military threats every day, and we feel the urgency to confront these threats. Furthermore, non-traditional threats such as natural disasters, transnational crime and energy security, ocean and network security also require us to respond quickly.
Tsai Ing-wen said that this year we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the “Global Cooperation and Training Framework” (GCTF). GCTF is a unique platform through which Taiwan and the United States conduct seminars to train officials and experts to address non-traditional security and emerging global issues. Taiwan has also established a humanitarian relief and disaster prevention and relief network in the region through the GCTF. Once natural disasters strike, Taiwan and regional partner countries are ready to provide assistance.
Tsai Ing-wen noted that in the past five years, the GCTF has held 29 seminars to address the challenges in public health, energy security, women’s empowerment, and media literacy. More than 1,500 experts and government representatives from more than 60 countries attended the conference. This year, we also held the GCTF workshop for the first time on important topics such as epidemic prevention, circular economy and marine litter. We will continue to actively expand the reach of GCTF in the future.
▼ ▲ Chen Tangshan, President of the Vision Foundation (top) delivered a keynote address and CEO Lai Yizhong (bottom) hosted the discussion. (Photo by reporter Chen Zhengyu)
Additionally, Tsai Ing-wen said she is pleased to see Japan become an official partner of the GCTF last year, and Sweden, Australia and the Netherlands have also joined as partners on specific issues. He said that the governments and peoples of Taiwan and Japan always support each other in the face of natural and man-made disasters. He is very happy that the Japan Taiwan Exchange Association has designated 2021 as the “Year of Japan-Taiwan Friendship Consolidation”; We hope to establish a closer relationship with Japan. The partnership is to jointly respond to traditional and non-traditional threats.
Tsai Ing-wen also mentioned that this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country established the “Global Cooperation and Training Framework Group” as the GCTF secretariat and established the “GCTF Alumni Network” to promote contact and the meeting of previous participants. We firmly believe that the institutionalization of GCTF makes it a center for regional cooperation, especially for non-traditional security issues that threaten the Indo-Pacific countries. Like-minded Taiwan regional partners will surely be able to respond effectively to future challenges through the use of professionalism and influence.
Tsai Ing-wen went on to say that since the outbreak of the epidemic, Taiwan has done a lot, we have been successful in preventing the epidemic, and we have not compromised our most precious democratic system and way of life. Due to its own uniqueness and challenges, each country has a certain degree of difficulty in copying the experience of other countries. But you must also reiterate that Taiwan is ready to help countries in need at any time. The epidemic has allowed us to see how fragile lives are and to understand the importance of mutual assistance. It is not impossible that we will encounter another epidemic again. However, no matter how daunting the challenges ahead, Taiwan will be a reliable partner for the international community.
Tsai Ing-wen emphasized that for a long time, we have faced great challenges again and again, and we have all won, because we believe in shared freedom and democratic values and we work together. In the end, he wished the meeting a complete success, and also wished everyone a Happy Holidays, and looked forward to welcoming Undersecretary Campbell and everyone in attendance next year.
