Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) The Yushan Forum opened in Taipei on Wednesday morning, with former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other keynote speakers expressing concern over Taiwan’s security in the face of increasing pressure from China.
“Taiwan’s future is uniquely central to global peace and security, and we all understand that that future is under constant threat,” Morrison, who is currently a member of the Australian House of Representatives, said.
The Australian parliamentarian emphasized the importance of stepping up Taiwan’s resilience and deterrence while maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
The status quo is about preventing conflict, ensuring respect for the autonomy of Taiwan and its people, and ensuring prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, he told the two-day forum organized by the government-funded think tank, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF).
Speaking in the same vein, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft said, without elaborating, that “Taiwan’s integrity has been under threat” for some time.
The former envoy to the U.N. from 2019 to 2021 under the government of U.S. President Donald Trump then called for global support for Taiwan, saying it was “the duty” of those who respect democracy and are concerned about the international order.
In a more outspoken speech, Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya said the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait was “essential” not only to the people of Taiwan but also to the 24,000 Japanese people living in the island nation, as well as to Japan and the wider international community.
Furuya, who chairs the 270-member Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council, went on to accuse China of “unilaterally changing the status quo” by building up its armaments and introducing legislation that affects the region.
Given the Russian aggression against Ukraine, close cooperation between countries with shared values is more important than ever, he added.
In her remarks, President Tsai Ing-wen (???) also underscored the need for cooperation, saying Taiwan would continue to work with New Southbound Policy countries and other like-minded nations to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the face of the mounting threats posed by rising authoritarianism, climate change, and the restructuring of global supply chains, Taiwan is a “secure and reliable partner” in the Indo-Pacific, she added.
The Tsai administration launched the New Southbound Policy (NSP) in 2016 to promote trade and investment, and people-to-people ties with 18 countries in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
They include Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Australia, and New Zealand.
According to TAEF, which was tasked with promoting the NSP in 2018, trade between Taiwan and the countries targeted by the NSP reached a record high of US$180 billion in 2022.
At the same time, Taiwan’s exports to those countries totaled US$96.9 billion, representing a 17 percent increase from 2016, TAEF data shows.
