President Tsai Ing-wen is calling on neighboring countries to work together to maintain regional peace and stability. Tsai was speaking Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the “Ketagalan Forum: 2020 Asia-Pacific Security Dialogue.”
Tsai said like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific must come up with consistent strategies to prevent military aggression. She said what’s been happening in Hong Kong shows that without regional cooperation, freedom and democracy could lose easily.
“We need a strategic order that encourages cooperation, transparency and problem-solving through dialogue, not threats of war. We need a strategy that avoids war yet clearly conveys our resolve to protect our democracies," said Tsai.
In his keynote speech online, former US national security advisor H.R. McMaster urged the international community to help upgrade Taiwan’s defense capabilities.
"We must, of course, follow up on President Tsai Ing-wen’s efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses such that the CCP and the PLA know they cannot succeed if they acted on their threats," said McMaster.